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ISSUE 2.03
CONNECT WITH US Got a story or suggestion, or just want to find out some more information?
CONTENTS
twitter.com/REPMagCA plus.google.com/+RepmagCanada facebook.com/REPmagCA
UPFRONT 02 Editorial
Hail the long overdue era of accountability in the RECBC
04 Statistics
FEATURES
14
DONE DEAL
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Full transparency ensured this double ending sale in Mille-Isles was a win-win for all parties
FEATURES
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08 News analysis
Will the tax on foreign buyers help or hinder the BC market?
13 Opinion
42 Making the transition
REP reveals the top performing real estate teams in Canada and some of their key tactics
Pamela Alexander keeps setting new goals at RE/MAX INTEGRA
What impact will the IAG’s regulation recommendations have on the real estate industry?
FEATURES
TOP TEAMS
INDUSTRY ICON
07 Head to head
When there’s a shortage of land condos are the answer
COVER STORY
PEOPLE
There’s positivity in the air for the next generation of homebuyers
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HOW TO RETAIN YOUR TEAM Four ways to nurture happy and profitable team members
How to successfully change duties from team member to team leader
52 Renovate to add value
Learn some tips and tricks for remodelling a property for sale
PEOPLE
44 Agent profile
Jordan Rasberry showed no fear setting up his boutique brokerage
54 Career path
Mike Cartwright prides himself on the relationships he’s forged
56 Other life
Songbird Tina Mak loves to perform
FEATURES
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CROSS-BORDER REFERRALS Strategies for smooth-running property deals beyond Canada
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15/09/2016 12:07:28 AM
UPFRONT
EDITORIAL
Better late than never
T
he Real Estate Council of British Columbia’s ten-year experiment with self-regulation came to an abrupt end this summer, after a report from a specially assembled Independent Advisory Group laid out the Council’s many shortcomings in eviscerating detail. One can only hope that the BC government’s misstep in allowing RECBC to manage itself was born out of well-meaning optimism rather than a complete ignorance of human nature. Whatever its initial inspiration, the end of self-regulation in BC was long overdue. The IAG was convened as a way of providing clients protection against agents and agencies willing to exchange ethics for sales. Had transparency issues and grey area practices such as shadow-flipping not become so widespread, the group’s recommendations would never have been necessary. As it stands, there is a growing number of buyers and sellers in BC who feel angry, manipulated and robbed. Realtors in BC are not inherently snake-like, but the market they participate in is in such a state of hyperactivity that ethics can easily be warped. When an agent can secretly assign a property three times for three commissions – and get away with it – it becomes an option for everyone occupying similar moral territory. As with any questionable behaviour, it becomes easier and less reprehensible every time it occurs, which is why measures must be put in place to re-establish the integrity of the industry in BC. The actions of suspect Realtors, and the inability of the RECBC to rein them in, have been damaging. Not only do they tarnish the reputation of all the province’s agents, they also contribute to an overvalued market and erode affordability – which self-defeatingly increases their own cost of living. No one is paying the rent with their ethics, but if those ethics were kept in check, one wonders if agents in the Vancouver market would feel the same need to chase questionable commissions. Finding greed in the real estate business is like finding lettuce in a salad; but any billion-dollar industry is going to attract its share of liars, rule-benders and bandits. By allowing the RECBC to regulate itself, the BC government was effectively turning a blind eye to this reality. Their vision appears to have finally cleared.
The team at Real Estate Professional
www.repmag.ca FALL 2O16 EDITORIAL Writers Clay Jarvis Justin da Rosa Joe Rosengarten Libby Macdonald Copy Editors Frances Chan Roslyn Meredith
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® ®
15/09/2016 12:08:22 AM
UPFRONT
STATISTICS
Next Gen want to buy
WHO’S BUYING IN THE NEXT YEAR? The percentage of people planning to purchase a home in the next year is highest among the married, those in Atlantic Canada, those aged 25 to 34, and those with an income between $60k and $99k.
Despite high student debt loads, the next generation nurture the dream of homeownership, and almost all plan to buy ADULTS UNDER 40 who don’t currently own a home but have the expectation of owning in the future – or as the recent report from Mortgage Professionals Canada terms them, the ‘Next Generation of Homebuyers’ – are overwhelmingly (94%) planning a future in which they have joined the ranks of homeowners. Sharing an optimistic outlook on the wisdom of purchasing real estate, 76% agree that real estate is a good long-term invest-
ment and 72% agree that mortgages are “good debt.” As a group they are upbeat in their expectations: 58% reported optimism regarding the economy in the next 12 months. They also anticipate the market rising further. When asked to forecast the likely five-year outlook for housing prices, more than three quarters (76%) predicted a climb, including a 15% segment who expected the price of housing stock to “go up dramatically.”
Region
West Quebec Atlantic Ontario
Age
18–20 21–24 25–34 35–39
Single Living with partner Married Separated/Widowed
Marital status
94%
90%
of non-homeowners aged 21–39 plan to own a home
of imminent buyers are currently saving for a down payment
53%
of Next Generation homebuyers are aware of new federal down payment minimums
is the average savings among imminent buyers; mid-term buyers average savings: $27,000
Household income
WHEN TO BUY?
WHAT TO BUY
Among the Next Generation surveyed – almost all of whom expect to own a home at some point in the future – the timelines for planned home buying are short: 70% expect to become homeowners within the next five years.
By a stunning majority, the next generation of homebuyers is looking for a low-rise dwelling – 80% plan to purchase either a detached or semi-detached house, or a townhome. Less than one in five will opt for a condo. 60
8%
12%
59%
50 40
22%
19%
39%
In the next year In 1–2 years In 3–5 years In 6–10 years 10+ years
Source: The Next Generation of Homebuyers, Mortgage Professionals Canada, June 2016
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Under $60k $60–99k $100k
$37,000
30 18%
20 10 0
13%
8%
2%
Detached house Semi-detached Condominium
Townhome
Other
Source: The Next Generation of Homebuyers, Mortgage Professionals Canada, June 2016
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15% 10% 16% 9%
4% 8% 14% 11%
8% 12% 24% 7%
8% 16% 15%
Source: The Next Generation of Homebuyers, Mortgage Professionals Canada, June 2016
LIFE EVENT SCHEDULING
HOW MUCH DOWN?
Major life events often drive the decision to buy, and this is true for the Next Generation. Over 90% stated either starting a family, getting a promotion or getting married as their main motive to buy a home.
A resounding majority of the Next Generation of homebuyers plan to put down more than 10%, and over one third plan to put down 20% or more.
Starting a family
33% 30%
A promotion or raise
25%
29%
Getting married 24%
Moving for a new job Receiving an inheritance
17%
22%
8% 36%
Finishing school 2%
Under 10% 10–20% 20% 20%+
Settling down 2% Source: The Next Generation of Homebuyers, Mortgage Professionals Canada, June 2016
Source: The Next Generation of Homebuyers, Mortgage Professionals Canada, June 2016
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15/09/2016 12:09:44 AM
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UPFRONT
HEAD TO HEAD
Can the BC industry rebuild its reputation? What impact will the Independent Advisory Group’s regulation recommendations have on the BC real estate industry?
Scott Simmons Salt Spring representative One Percent Realty
Deanna Horn
President British Columbia Real Estate Association
Amanda Westrheim
“A few bad apples have gamed the system and make a mockery of dual agency. The industry has lost the confidence of the consumer and the government. The only solution: totally rebuilding the industry from the ground up. Consumers will have confidence, the government will be off our backs, and the 99.99% of honest hard-working Realtors will be happy knowing we are all playing by the same rules. Ending dual agency is only one of the 28 recommendations in the report; reading it will show its scope. I fully back all the recommendations and support the BCREA in amalgamation efforts.”
“The IAG recommendations are a critical turning point for our industry. We’ve been in the firing line for so long and we have an opportunity to show what professionalism truly means. And we can’t afford to waste it! We must ensure the recommendations don’t prevent consumers from working with the Realtor they want. More importantly, I’m convinced that we need to work together to collaborate effectively with government and implement these changes. With a single organization in the province, we can achieve consistent higher professional standards, have a much stronger voice and position our profession for the future.”
“The stricter fines are going help weed out the bad apples. The end of dual agency is not going to end one Realtor doing the buy and the sell on each side; they’re just going to be called a customer relationship – with no agency provided to the buyer, the buyer will bear all the risk. It’s more dangerous for the consumer. My hope is that these changes will restore consumer confidence. I think what we’re going to see next is mandatory buyer-agent agreements, meaning buyers can no longer flip flop between Realtors. Saskatchewan and Alberta have already made them mandatory.”
Realtor Century 21 Assurance Realty
THE ONLY SURE THING FOR BC? CHANGE The final report is in from the committee created at the behest of the Real Estate Council of BC and tasked with probing British Columbia’s existing regulatory framework, and the 60-page finished product has called for many changes for the province that hosts the country’s hottest market. Among other recommendations: fines of up to $250,000 for real estate agents who break the rules; a hotline, or similar, to facilitate members of the public reporting misconduct; and the end of dual agency, the practice under which an agent is permitted to act for both sides of a transaction.
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15/09/2016 12:10:39 AM
UPFRONT
NEWS ANALYSIS
Fabricating affordability British Columbia’s foreign ownership tax was implemented as an attempt to put the brakes on the province’s out-of-control property prices, but experts question if an external solution has the power to alter the fundamental economic forces the market is built on
AUGUST 2 marked the beginning of a new era in the Vancouver real estate market. With the sudden implementation of a 15% tax on foreign buyers – announced only a week before – the British Columbia government made its first attempt to quell the anxiety, anger and fear of Lower Mainlanders who have stood helplessly by as their dreams of home ownership have been crushed by colossal price increases. It is hoped that the tax will lessen sales, increase supply and make buying more of a possibility for all Vancouverites, but can that possibly be the case? “In the short term I believe it will have an effect,” says Carsten Love of Coldwell Banker Love Realty in Burnaby, “but in the long term,
Love points out that in a market where the average home price is $1.5 million, prices would need to roll back by at least 50% in order to make the average home affordable for most residents. But a drop of 20% is “just not enough to give the average person in Vancouver a chance to buy.” Love feels that the tax on foreign ownership – especially on conglomerates that “treat Vancouver like a hedge fund” – was long overdue, but he also sees foreign ownership as just a part of the problem. “It wasn’t the big reason why Vancouver’s prices were going up. The prices were going up because Vancouver is a place people want to come. They’re not coming here to prop our market up per se.
“The prices were going up because Vancouver is a place people want to come. They’re not coming here to prop our market up” Carsten Love, Coldwell Banker Love Realty no. The only way that a buyer can take advantage of possibly higher supply is if the sellers agree to sell their homes at these lower prices, and what happens in Vancouver is people don’t sell them. Most people have a lot of equity in their homes.”
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They’re coming here to live.” One of the biggest issues with the tax, and one that started playing itself out within days of its implementation, is its application to deals that had already been completed. The fear is that buyers, now saddled with finding hundreds
of thousands of dollars to cover the tax, will simply walk away from deals and the attendant 5% deposits. Love wonders if the BC government considered the catastrophic impact this may have on sellers who, banking on a sale, have gone ahead and purchased new homes of their own. “I still haven’t heard a good reason as to why they had to do it that way.” Ultimately, home ownership in Vancouver may need to undergo a radical paradigm shift. With demand high and nowhere to build but up, Love is already seeing single-family homes become family possessions that are set to be passed from generation to generation, as they are in much of Europe and Asia. “The idea of the government trying to make it such that young people will one day be able to afford a
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BC BY THE NUMBERS
$866,772 Average home price in Greater Vancouver, July 2015
$1,007,687 Average home price in Greater Vancouver, July 2016
40.4% Year-over-year price increase in Surrey* 35.3% Year-over-year price increase in Abbotsford* 20.2% Year-over-year price increase in Chilliwack* $663,411 Average home price in BC* Source: CREA *July 2016
detached house is just not realistic.” There is wide speculation that the foreign ownership tax will simply send buyers to other
Paris? What about London? What about buying up some real estate down in vacation areas? If they’re keeping them vacant anyways,
“Every economist who has talked about [the new tax] has said the idea is insane. And it is insane. It’s absolutely ludicrous” David Fleming, Bosley Real Estate major markets, namely Toronto. According to David Fleming of Bosley Real Estate, this binary view of foreign investors is far too limited. “People are naïve to automatically assume it all comes to Toronto,” he says. “What about
why not buy in Phoenix? Why not buy in Florida? Why not buy vacation properties, keep them empty and ride that appreciation wave?” With no influx of foreign buyers on the horizon, Fleming doesn’t see a similar tax in
Toronto’s future. But he does see it living on as a lesson in how not to correct an out of control housing market. “I think this tax will eventually prove to be one of the craziest ideas any level of government has ever had in Canada. Economic students will be studying this 30 years from now out of textbooks and wondering how and why this came to pass,” he says. Fleming points to the BC government’s abandonment of a proposed vacancy tax and its sudden announcement of the foreign buyer’s tax as proof enough that the measure was thrown together without adequate research or effort. “Every economist who has talked about this has said the idea is insane. And it is insane. It’s absolutely ludicrous.” REP
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15/09/2016 12:11:23 AM
PEOPLE
INDUSTRY ICON
THE NEXT THING Pamela Alexander went from answering phones in her father’s office to being head of RE/MAX INTEGRA’s North American operations. Closing in on 40 years in the industry, she still has the same passion and personality that have helped build the company’s worldwide reputation
LIKE MANY first-generation Canadians, Pamela Alexander is proud to help out with her family’s business, and that business just happens to be one of the largest real estate companies in the world. RE/MAX INTEGRA, with an army of 34,000 sales associates, makes up 30% of RE/MAX’s worldwide network, and its North American division, which Alexander has overseen as CEO since 1995, represents more than half that number. Alexander has served at every level of the INTEGRA organization, and has been instrumental in its rise from local powerhouse to continental juggernaut. In over two decades at the helm of INTEGRA, she has provided not only valuable leadership but also an overarching spirit of support and connection that continues to attract some of the best agents in the business. “It’s important to have a brand behind you,” Alexander says. “But at the end of the day it’s all about you.”
Growing up RE/MAX Real estate has always figured heavily in Alexander’s life. Her father joined the industry in 1958 after health issues ended his career as a baker, and there was always work for her to do at his office. At 12 years old, she was already typing up offers and managing the switchboard, but as she entered her teenage years, an actual career in real estate was the furthest
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thing from her mind. Alexander came of age in the early 1970s, and her passion at the time was rock ’n’ roll. Her nights were spent camping out for gig tickets, and the list of bands she saw at their peak – Pink Floyd, the Who – should make her the envy of any respectable music nerd. How many other real estate CEOs have seen Led Zeppelin three times? From 1974 to 1978, Alexander studied
Alexander acquired her real estate licence in 1980 and started what she describes as a rather inauspicious career as a Realtor. While she never knocked it out of the park as a seller, the administrative side of the business excited her, and she saw where she could be of the most value. “I kinda fell into RE/MAX initially by helping my father,” she says, “but within a couple of years, he and his partner were so busy selling franchises
“Way back then, RE/MAX was an unknown. We were just getting a foothold. We had sold a lot of franchises, but growing an office from 25 to 50, from 50 to 100, was unheard of back in those days” history and philosophy at the University of Toronto, and by 4 p.m. on the day she graduated she was married. She was soon hired by prestigious law firm McMillan Binch (now part of McMillan LLP) and spent a year there as a legal secretary. When her tenure at McMillan Binch came to an end, she took on the accounting and administration duties at her father’s growing real estate business. This time, however, it would be for good.
in Ontario and Atlantic Canada that somebody had to look after the real estate offices.” At 26, Alexander had already worked in every aspect of the business. She asked her father if he would consider selling the RE/MAX operation to her. He agreed, but was wary. “He said, ‘You’re young, you’re my daughter, you haven’t really been successful at selling real estate. And you’re a woman.’” But he told Alexander she would be successful if she focused “on hiring the best
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PROFILE Name: Pamela Alexander Title: CEO, North America Company: RE/MAX INTEGRA Years in the industry: 37 Fast fact: Alexander has been involved at virtually every level of the RE/MAX INTEGRA organization; she performed office administration as a teenager, sold as an agent and managed RE/MAX Professional as an owner/broker before becoming CEO in 1995
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15/09/2016 12:14:02 AM
PEOPLE
INDUSTRY ICON
people in the industry and building a company to be proud of that everyone would look up to.” “Way back then, RE/MAX was an unknown,” Alexander says. “We were just getting a foothold. We had sold a lot of franchises, but growing an office from 25 to 50, from 50 to 100, was unheard of back in those days. I went to work.” Alexander concentrated on recruiting the strongest sales associates she could find, hiring big hitters from trust companies and competing brokerages.
your success, but then look to the next thing.” For Alexander, the next thing was maintaining the integrity of the RE/MAX brand and continuing to make it the most attractive destination for agents and franchisees, providing the tools, image and technology that allow 17,000 North American agents to more effectively serve their clients. It also involved becoming a relatable and reliable leader. “People are so disillusioned sometimes with publicly traded companies. We
“Titles and those sorts of things don’t mean a lot. I don’t think I ever feel elation for anything like that. Celebrate your success, but then look to the next thing” Within five years, RE/MAX Professional was employing 100 agents. “There were many years of great success,” says Alexander of her years as a broker, “and there were many years of great difficulties.” She says the six years of recession that started in 1989 were the most trying years of her professional life. The company lost 1,700 of its 5,000 agents during the downturn, but those it kept, and those its brand was able to attract, helped RE/MAX increase its market share to almost 35%. “I made a ton of mistakes,” she says, “and learned from them.”
Taking the reins In 1995, when her father turned his attention to establishing RE/MAX’s presence in Europe, Alexander was presented with an opportunity to “make a mark on a greater number of RE/MAX people.” After guiding RE/MAX Professional through 10 years of rapid expansion, she was named RE/MAX INTEGRA’s CEO and managing director of North American operations. “Titles and those sorts of things don’t mean a lot,” she says. “I don’t think I ever feel elation for anything like that. Celebrate
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find that when people buy franchises from us they’re buying the brand, but they’re also buying the leadership and the ownership.” Alexander is also dedicated to nurturing the next generation of RE/MAX INTEGRA leadership. Wary of resembling her old musical heroes, many of whom continue to soldier on at the expense of their legacy, Alexander is focusing more on her role as a mentor. “I don’t want to be that person who’s hung on long after they should have just bowed out. Let others take the stage.” When asked about the benefits her years at RE/MAX have provided her, Alexander quickly works her way through the requisite list – financial security, personal pride, travelling the world – before she gets to what she feels is the ultimate reward: being a part of other people’s success. Alexander values the part she plays in other people’s stories “of being given a chance to be successful in an industry that requires honesty, hard work, professionalism and is open to anybody. If you have it, and you work it, and you’re a decent human being and you’re really willing to help people, you can be really successful in this business. And those are the kind of stories that motivate me to get out of bed every day.” REP
PAMELA ALEXANDER’S CAREER PATH
1978 Begins work as a legal secretary at McMillan Binch
1979 Joins her father’s real estate company, which would soon become RE/MAX Professional
1980 Obtains her real estate licence
1981 Purchases RE/MAX Professional
1995 Becomes CEO and managing director of North American Operations at RE/MAX INTEGRA
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15/09/2016 12:14:06 AM
UPFRONT
OPINION
GOT AN OPINION THAT COUNTS? Email repmag@kmimedia.ca
Cycles a thing of the past Forget the ‘seven-year cycle’, writes Mark Cohen; the market shows no signs of letting up
DON’T BE fooled by the naysayers; they always exist, and often are right. But it doesn’t look like our real estate market is bubbling or will any time soon. Look at the fundamentals: the cost of borrowing, year after year, remains at unthinkably small quotients. The impact of low interest rates means tens of thousands of dollars yearly that buyers are effectively saving in interest, allowing them to buy at today’s prices – even inflated ones – yet capitalizing on huge savings. There are no warning signs, at least in the short term, that this will change. There’s a shortage of serviceable land. Lake Ontario isn’t moving and neither is the big red circle that covers much of the moraine to the north of the city. Land can’t be replaced – simple. There is little if any land left in areas that were once largely underutilized; Mississauga, Burlington, Oakville to the west; Scarborough and Pickering to the east, Richmond Hill and Thornhill and much of Vaughan to the north, to name a few. This will continue further afar as time goes on; it’s very much in motion now as land values continue to grow on the fringe of the GTA and beyond. Immigration seems to have no end in sight. Immigration numbers have reached six figures annually to Toronto for several years now. Affordability remains a key issue. The average new home in the GTA is about
to hit $1m, almost twice as much as the average new condo, albeit more favourable to buyers on a price per square foot basis. Not that it matters: the houses and new home sites just don’t exist and the future looks bleak in that regard. A report earlier this summer published by CHMC suggests “a chronic undersupply of housing,” citing
place. The same CMHC report on condos suggests that 90% of the buyers weren’t planning on buying another condo any time soon, nor did they own more than one for investments purposes. And, interestingly, a majority of the buyers had intended to hold the property for a minimum of five years anyway. Although investors are a significant part of the market, assume that more and more people will choose condos as their principal home in our great city; buying less for less and spreading themselves around. Cottage country values continue to explode. Over one million Torontonians leave the city weekly in the summer months, heading to summer retreats, often extending weekends on both ends, working on their phones and laptops with their toes dipping in a freshwater lake. Technology has given all of us offices outside of our offices, and what people do is very much more important than where people are when it comes to doing work. On the heels of an extremely hot summer, for those who travel daily throughout the city it is clear that rush hour now has no
“Don’t be spooked by the condo speculation in the city ... there were few problems filling the plethora of new condos” a shortfall of 300,000 new homes for the GTA over the next 10 years, and production of new low-rise homes being at least 10,000 short per year as to what is needed to satisfy reasonable demand. And don’t be spooked by all of the condo speculation and activity in the city. In recent years, over half of the new condos that closed were closed with cash, and those who borrowed had little difficulty closing. Speaking of difficulty, similarly, there were few problems filling the plethora of new condos. Vacancy rates have crept below 1% in the recent year, half as much as they were a few years ago; particularly low in terms of North American cities and their respective averages. And don’t ask who’s going to buy all the condos being built, as they wouldn’t have been built if they weren’t sold in the first
boundaries or set times; it can be expected 24/7, affected by the construction of both roadworks and new additions to the skyline of the city. Often it takes two or three times as long to travel to places that we used to get to much faster not so long ago. There is no reason to think that won’t persist. More and more people will use the TTC (which doesn’t mean ‘Take the Car’). Anywhere new transit is popping up or being enhanced, properties sell like hotcakes and values jump correspondingly. Don’t expect that to change. Onward and upward! REP Mark Cohen is founding partner of The Condo Store Marketing System, a firm specializing in the design, marketing and sales of new condominiums and new home sales throughout the GTA and beyond.
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15/09/2016 12:14:10 AM
FEATURES
DONE DEAL
Double ending done right The buyer was ready and the seller was motivated, but one Quebec-based Realtor had to take a risk to make both clients happy
IS IT STILL possible to have an objective discussion about double ending? Recent media attention, perhaps unfairly focused on British Columbia, has brought the practice largely negative mainstream attention. When people consider double ending, they often project themselves into the worst deal possible, angrily picturing themselves as an abused client or, in their darker and perhaps more revealing moments, dreaming of the spoils of the nefarious agent. Even the phrase ‘double ending’ brings to mind the idea of two parties being mistreated. Although representing both sides of a sale is legal, the idea of a single insider working toward a double commission is inherently suspicious. Whose interests are really being tended to? Is critical information being shared
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with both parties? Who will intervene if the agent is behaving unethically? The inability to definitively answer these questions is answer enough. But what about in a small market where an agent cannot hide from a bad sale, where deals don’t come so furiously that a dozen might close before news breaks of a crooked one? Is it safe to assume that in areas like these buyers and sellers can share an agent with greater confidence? (The fact that the questions keep coming must be telling us something.) Or perhaps, as in the case of this issue’s Done Deal, it all comes down to the integrity of the individual agent.
An extra dotted line It was fall of 2015. Both the temperatures and
the market in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, were cooling, and Daniel Stewart of Century 21 Groupe Opt/Immo still had among his listings a three-bedroom home on an acre of land just outside the city limits in neighbouring Mille-Isles. The home was simple, only 10 years old, but its distance from the amenities of Saint-Sauveur had kept it on the market for most of the year. When news came that the seller had found both a job and a new home in Kitchener, Ontario, Stewart knew that another six months on the market could spell financial disaster for his client. “Getting the deal done at that time was definitely a priority,” he says. In the first of three fortuitous twists of fate, Stewart found himself representing a couple that would fit perfectly into the MilleIsles home. They had been renting in SaintSauveur, but were looking for something they could call their own. Stewart showed them the home, which would provide them with the increased space and privacy they needed. The home should have immediately been theirs, but the couple was only a few months into a lease their landlord refused to break. With winter fast approaching, and the property too far from the ski hills of Saint-Sauveur to make it a lock for holiday renting, he was justifiably concerned about several months of potential vacancy. Unable to simultaneously pay rent and take on a mortgage, the prospective buyers were preparing to walk away from the purchase. With the sale, ideal for both of his clients, dying on the table, Stewart stepped in to resuscitate it. “I said, ‘You know what? If I cover their lease – it’s at an affordable enough
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price that I can probably furnish it, find someone to rent it for a seasonal short-term basis and definitely break even. “I okayed it with the owner, told everyone what my intentions were and that I was going to take a chance with it to try and get this deal done.” Stewart’s strategy was paying off. His buyers had their first home, his seller would be able to start a new life without carrying two mortgages and he had a desirable renter lined up who would assuage his new landlord’s worries of having someone unknown in his property – until he didn’t. After spending $10,000 furnishing the home, Stewart received word that his tenant would not be moving in. Stewart was looking at another $1,200 month of vacancy. It was around this time, on Christmas Eve in fact, that one of Mille-Isles’ more colourful citizens, a cantankerous 85-year-old grump, burned his house to the ground. Stewart welcomed the man as his new tenant. Five months later the man moved on, leaving Stewart with two months on his lease. In yet another fortuitous bit of misfortune, one of his colleagues ended a relationship with a long-time partner and needed a new place to stay. Not only did she stay on far beyond those two months, she also agreed to buy the furniture Stewart had purchased for the home. Realizing the role timing, tragedy and heartbreak played in helping the deal pan out, Stewart has difficulty recommending a
QUICK LOOK
ADDRESS 54 Cote St-Gabriel Mille-Isles
DOM 181
LISTING DATE February 21, 2015
LISTING PRICE $249,900
SOLD DATE August 21, 2015
SOLD PRICE $235,000
STYLE Classic single family
BEDROOMS 3
BATHS 1.5
SAINT-SAUVEUR: SMALL MARKET, BIG OPPORTUNITIES
Price
$250,000
$200,000
$150,000
2011
2012
2013
2014
Sale median price
2015
2016
An hour northwest of Montreal, Saint-Sauveur is the well-known gateway to Quebec’s cottage country. As such, it provides Realtors in the area with a number of opportunities, from home sales to investment and recreational properties. With homes staying on the market for an average of six months, Daniel Stewart has time to get to know both his clients and their homes, which leads to honest appraisals and upfront advice. While Saint-Sauveur may not provide agents like Stewart access to the same average prices as the GTA or BC’s Lower Mainland, the opportunities to build relationships with his clients – with his neighbours – have allowed him to cultivate lasting, respectful relationships and a lucrative-volume business.
similar course of action for other Realtors. As a seasoned investor with five rental properties of his own, he feels that only those agents with the right resources and experience can pull it off. “If you’re just jumping into it blindly,” he says, “it’s probably not going to work out.” But looking back on the deal, Stewart realizes he didn’t have much choice. “I was taking a pretty big risk, but I had a feeling we wouldn’t necessarily find another buyer for this house any time soon. Knowing that these people were ready and willing, I definitely wanted to make sure I found a way to get it done.”
Leaving everyone satisfied Stewart’s deal illustrates the positive potential of double ending – a streamlined, honest transaction that avoids hysteria and leaves everyone satisfied. “What it boils down to,” he says, “is honesty and trust. It’s the same in any situation. You could be just representing a buyer, just representing a seller or representing both. And if you’re dishonest you’re going to have dissatisfied clients and you’re going to have problems.” Stewart acknowledges that market size may be a factor in keeping double-ending agents honest. “If you’re trying to just pull a fast one on someone or working on a deal and playing both sides, people are going to find out pretty quickly.” But large market or small, client needs are the same, and it is up to the agent to best serve those needs. “When it comes down to it, the fundamentals are the same. People still look for someone they can trust, who is going to guide them, help them and give them advice that’s going to ultimately give them what they want.” REP
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FEATURES
COVER STORY: TOP TEAMS 2O16
REP reveals Canada’s top-performing real estate teams
REAL ESTATE often brings to mind a view of the individual agent – chasing down leads, sitting down with clients, organizing open houses, collecting a wellearned commission cheque. But when it comes to the overall strength, appeal and growth of a brokerage, it is often well-managed and motivated teams that make the difference. With an effective, imaginative leader at the helm, a real estate team becomes more than the sum of its parts. The opportunities for growth and education multiply, and the evolution of individual agents intensifies that of the team. Good agents have the opportunity to become great; great agents have the support to become industry leaders. Practically speaking, the unified approach, consistent branding and shared
values of a team go a long way toward attracting clients, repeat business and referrals. Clients expect a team to provide the same level of service across the board, from junior agents to the broker of record, and that’s precisely what the most successful ones do. In preparing our Top Teams list, REP has collected and verified critical sales data from hundreds of Canada’s most successful real estate teams. Unsurprisingly, the majority of them are located in Ontario and British Columbia, where historically high demand and prices have led to massive sales totals, but we have also found a number of talented teams working in smaller markets that have established themselves as forces to be reckoned with. We hope their success inspires you.
INDEX BY NAME
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OFFICE
TEAM LEAD
BASE CITY
PAGE
OFFICE
TEAM LEAD
BASE CITY
PAGE
AJ Lamba Realty Group
Aj Lamba
Mississauga, ON
32
New Coast Realty
Tracy Niu
Richmond, BC
18
Angell Hasman E Christiansen
Eric Christiansen
West Vancouver, BC
34
Paul Zammit Real Estate
Paul Zammit
Thornhill, ON
23
Century 21 Advantage Realty
Janice Resch
Red Deer, AB
35
Polygon Realty
Patricia Y. Lok
Vancouver, BC
36
Century 21 All Seasons Realty Brokerage
Ray Krupa, Emma Kearns
Bancroft, ON
40
RE/MAX Aboutowne Realty Corp
Cindy M. Avis
Oakville, ON
22
Century 21 Irv Tremblay Realty
Irvin Tremblay
Regina, SK
26
RE/MAX Aboutowne Realty Corp
Christopher Invidiata
Oakville, ON
33
Century 21 Leading Edge Realty
Stephen Tar
Unionville, ON
19
RE/MAX ABSOLUTE TW REALTY Brokerage
Angelo Toscano & Geoff Walker
Orleans, ON
32
Century 21 Miller Real Estate
Donald G. Goodale
Oakville, ON
19
RE/MAX All Stars Realty Brokerage
Brett Puckrin
Port Perry, ON
29
CIR Realty
John Mayberry
Calgary, AB
29
RE/MAX Austin Kay Realty
Austin Kay
Richmond, BC
35
Dan Gemus Real Estate Team
Dan Gemus
Amherstburg, ON
24
RE/MAX Central
Doris Gee
Burnaby, BC
38
Dan Plowman Team Realty
Dan Plowman
Whitby, ON
37
RE/MAX Colonial Pacific Realty
Glenn Dennis
White Rock, BC
30
Declute Real Estate
Rick Declute
Toronto, ON
28
RE/MAX Crest Westside Vanw7
Rob Zwick
Vancouver, BC
39
Jason Munn...The SMART Move Team
Jason Munn
Fredericton, NB
32
RE/MAX Crest Westside Vanw7
Michael Rampf
Vancouver, BC
24
Faith Wilson Group
Faith Wilson
Vancouver, BC
25
RE/MAX ESCARPMENT GOLFI REALTY
Robert Golfi
Hamilton, ON
39
Harvey Kalles Real Estate
Robert S. Greenberg
Toronto, ON
18
RE/MAX Hallmark Batori Group
David Batori
Toronto, ON
25
Homelife Benchmark Rlty Clov
Edith Katronis
Surrey, BC
37
RE/MAX Hallmark Realty
Mark Richards
Toronto, ON
23
Homelife Eagle Realty
Hans Ohrstrom
Richmond Hill, ON
24
RE/MAX Hallmark Realty
Allister John Sinclair
Toronto, ON
24
Keller Williams Energy Real Estate
Shawn Lepp
Whitby, ON
22
RE/MAX Hallmark Realty
The Wright Sisters
Toronto, ON
22
Keller Williams Experience Realty
Peggy Hill
Barrie, ON
28
RE/MAX HOUSE OF REAL ESTATE
Frances Dares
Calgary, AB
30
Living Realty
Bonnie B. Wan
Markham, ON
25
RE/MAX Kelowna
Tamara and Shannon Stone
Kelowna, BC
25
Mac Marketing Solutions
Cameron Mcneill
Vancouver, BC
41
RE/MAX Lifestyles Realty
Ron Antalek
Maple Ridge, BC
31
Macdonald Realty
Clair Rockel
Vancouver, BC
26
RE/MAX Performance Realty
Shahid Saleem Khawaja
Mississauga, ON
26
Macdonald Realty
Lorne Goldman
Vancouver, BC
34
RE/MAX Premier
Vesna Kolenc
Woodbridge, ON
32
Macdonald Realty Westmar
Juliette Yonghong Zhang
Richmond, BC
19
RE/MAX Premier
Lino Achille Arci
Toronto, ON
34
My Move Realty
Ravi Singh Duhra
Toronto, ON
18
RE/MAX Professionals
Ed Dale
Winnipeg, MB
37
New Coast Realty
Sandra Li
Richmond, BC
31
RE/MAX Progroup Realty
Fraser W. Elliott
Delta, BC
38
New Coast Realty
Morning Yu
Richmond, BC
36
RE/MAX Real Estate Centre
Parveen Arora
Brampton, ON
23
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SPONSOR PROFILE Dan Plowman Team Systems (DPTS) has been helping top producers create teams that dominate in their marketplace since 2008. Founded by Dan Plowman, the company was created as a way to duplicate the success of the Dan Plowman Team who outperforms the next closest competitor in their marketplace by more than double the production. DPTS has helped many top teams across the country achieve unprecedented success. The company focuses on all aspects of team development training including: • Hiring & recruiting • Lead generation • Lead conversion • Team training • Compensation structures
• Retention • Listing & buyer systems As one of the leaders in real estate coaching and training, DPTS brings innovative ideas and training to anyone who would like to build a real estate business that surpasses all expectations. DPTS is sponsoring their 7th Annual Team Summit on October 26 and 27 at the Westin Trillium Hotel in beautiful Blue Mountain, which offers two days of intensive training, motivation and networking with other top teams across North America, and features keynote speaker David Chilton, former Dragon on Dragons’ Den, and best-selling author of The Wealthy Barber and The Wealthy Barber Returns. Visit their website at www.dpts.ca for more information on their systems and upcoming events.
Westin Trillium Hotel Blue Mountain
OFFICE
TEAM LEAD
BASE CITY
PAGE
OFFICE
TEAM LEAD
BASE CITY
PAGE
RE/MAX Real Estate Centre
Cliff Rego
Cambridge, ON
34
Royal LePage Sussex J Soprovich
Jason Soprovich
West Vancouver, BC
30
RE/MAX Real Estate Services
Michelle Yu
Vancouver, BC
35
Royal LePage Wolstencroft
Tracey Bosch
Langley, BC
39
RE/MAX Real Estate Services
Christina Watts
Vancouver, BC
29
Royal LePage York North Realty
Leigh Jordana Sugar
Newmarket, ON
41
RE/MAX Realtron Realty
N. Barry Cohen
Toronto, ON
18
Royal LePage Your Community Realty
Daryl King
Richmond Hill, ON
20
RE/MAX Realtron Soltanian Real Estate
Sharon Soltanian
Toronto, ON
22
Royal Pacific Realty Corp
Sarina Han
Vancouver, BC
20
RE/MAX REALTY SPECIALISTS
Gilbert Smith
St. John’s, NL
29
Royal Pacific Realty Corp
Winnie Y. Chung
Vancouver, BC
20
RE/MAX Rossetti Realty
Tony Rossetti
North Vancouver, BC
36
Royal Pacific Realty Corp
Tammy Jin
Vancouver, BC
20
RE/MAX Select Properties
Layla Z. Y. Yang
Vancouver, BC
28
Sam McDadi Real Estate
Sam Allan McDadi
Mississauga, ON
18
RE/MAX Select Properties
Paul Eviston
Vancouver, BC
38
Save Max Real Estate
Raman Dua
Brampton, ON
40
RE/MAX Select Properties
Patrick Weeks
Vancouver, BC
37
Sutton Group Associates Realty
Josie Stern
Toronto, ON
23
RE/MAX Select Realty
Ruth Chuang
Vancouver, BC
34
Sutton Group Heritage Realty
Tatanya Martine Tierney
Whitby, ON
26
RE/MAX Westcoast
Sarah Zhang
Richmond, BC
39
Sutton Group Winnie Lam And Assoc
Winnie Lam
Vancouver, BC
24
RE/MAX Westcoast
Patsy Hui
Richmond, BC
41
Sutton Group Professional Realty
Jacqui Rostek
Halifax, NS
36
RE/MAX Westcoast
Patti L. Martin
Richmond, BC
19
Sutton Group Seafair Realty
Kathy Xu
Richmond, BC
28
RE/MAX Westcoast
Shafik Ladha
Richmond, BC
19
Sutton Group Seafair Realty
Samuel Cheung
Richmond, BC
31
Regent Park Realty
Gary Geng
Vancouver, BC
30
Sutton Group West Coast Realty
Stella Price
Coquitlam, BC
38
Rennie Marketing Systems
Tracie L. Mctavish
Vancouver, BC
35
Sutton Group West Coast Realty
James Garbutt
Coquitlam, BC
28
Royal LePage Benchmark
Kirby Cox
Calgary, AB
36
Sutton Premier Realty
Emily Oh
Surrey, BC
36
Royal LePage Brookside Realty
Danny Gerbrandt
Maple Ridge, BC
30
Sutton Premier Realty
Mike Marfori
Surrey, BC
40
Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services
Cathy Rocca
Burlington, ON
20
Sutton West Coast Realty
Candice C. Dyer
Squamish, BC
39
Royal LePage First Contact Realty, Brokerage
Mark Faris
Barrie, ON
19
THE BAGOGLOO TEAM, RE/MAX nova
Thomas Bagogloo
Halifax, NS
29
Royal LePage Real Estate Services
Cailey Heaps Estrin
Toronto, ON
21
The Hamre Real Estate Team
Greg and Steve Hamre
Ottawa, ON
32
Royal LePage Real Estate Services
Loretta Dawn Phinney
Mississauga, ON
27
Tony Joe & Associates
Tony Joe
Victoria, BC
26
Royal LePage Real Estate Services
Matthew Joseph Regan
Mississauga, ON
25
Top Producers Realty
Mindy Mcpherson
Mission, BC
31
Royal LePage Real Estate Services
Dan Cooper
Oakville, ON
31
Urbanopolis
Steve Aruda
Toronto, ON
38
Royal LePage Real Estate Services
Rina Di Risio
Oakville, ON
34
Whistler Real Estate Co
John Ryan
Whistler, BC
40
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17
FEATURES
COVER STORY: TOP TEAMS 2O16 SAM MCDADI REAL ESTATE Sam Allan McDadi Mississauga, ON Top 20 team for volume and units sold
Sam McDadi Real Estate is a towering presence in the Toronto market. The company sold over $600 million in 2015 and, having sold over $400 million in the first six months of 2016, are looking at possibly selling $800 million this year. “A few years ago,” says McDadi, “I wouldn’t have thought that was attainable, but we’re growing in leaps and bounds.” When asked what his 35-person team is doing to drive that growth, McDadi says there’s no single answer. “I think it’s probably a bit of everything,” he says. Morale plays a big part, with annual staff getaways and bonding activities helping melt away the stress of the job. The team also speaks 25 different languages, a dedication to multiculturalism that translates into a wider customer base. McDadi’s team is also famous for its full-time service providers – stagers, marketers, an inspector among others. “We’re not just trying to have that available. You want to be the best and provide the best possible service in each of those components.” While a number of teams are now offering similar services, McDadi was doing so over a decade ago. “We’re always trying to think one step ahead,” he says. One of his team’s newest successful innovations has been partnering up with Ritchies Auctioneers to auction off high-end properties that have been too long on the market. McDadi was able to move two of the three homes placed on the auction block and his team now has another unique service in its arsenal. “We’re well-armed to be able to provide the best possible value-added service for our clients,” says McDadi, “and I think that’s what’s helped propel our business year after year.”
HARVEY KALLES REAL ESTATE Robert S. Greenberg Mississauga, ON Top 20 team for volume, average DOM and average sale price
Robert Greenberg’s Harvey Kalles team has been occupying the upper echelon of the Toronto market for over ten years. The four-man crew sells a house every 1.78 days – 51% faster than their competitors – and moved over $300 million worth of real estate last year. “We play to win,” says Greenberg. “We don’t play for second place.” Greenberg attributes his team’s success to three main factors, key among them being an intense focus on marketing. “I don’t think anybody competes against us with respect to marketing,” he says. Greenberg says the team’s marketing efforts, which run the gamut from bus stop ads to national publications seen by tens of thousands, cost the team over $800,000 a year, but the payoff is abundantly clear. Firm believers in the power of open houses, the Greenberg team often runs theirs twice as long – and attracts seven times the number of visitors — as their competitors. Most importantly, Greenberg ensures his team provides clients consistent, dedicated support regardless of a property’s price tag. “Every house we get gets the same service – same marketing, same ads, same attention. They’re all treated equally” he says
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MY MOVE REALTY Ravi Singh Duhra Toronto, ON Top 20 team for volume and units sold
Ravi Singh Duhra is the broker of record for My Move Realty. Founded in 2013, My Move Realty has supported over 8500 Canadian families by listing their properties on local MLS® Systems and REALTOR. ca. The company has helped thousands of families sell their properties, helping them save an estimated $45 million by not paying traditional commissions.
RE/MAX REALTRON REALTY INC N. Barry Cohen Toronto, ON Top 20 team for volume and average sale price
N. Barry Cohen has been a respected member of RE/MAX Realtron Realty since 1992. He is well-known among buyers and sellers in the Greater Toronto Area for his technical knowledge, honest opinions, and sales expertise. Barry has achieved considerable success in York Mills where his peers recognize him as the area’s number one sales person for the number of homes sold year after year since 1996. The RE/MAX Corporation has acknowledged Barry as its number one individual sales person in Canada. He has also held rankings of second and third place worldwide based on the volume of commissions earned.
NEW COAST REALTY Tracy Niu
Burnaby, BC
Tracy Niu PREC started her team in January 2015, which soon grew to 23 members in less than a year. Team Tracy of New Coast Realty is incredibly diverse, with members from Greater China, India, and Russia. By December 2015, Tracy’s team had sold over 119 properties in the Greater Vancouver area.
RE/MAX WESTCOAST
CENTURY 21 MILLER REAL ESTATE LTD
Richmond, BC
Toronto, ON
Shafik Ladha
Donald G. Goodale
Top 20 team for volume
Shafik Ladha is a distinguished REALTOR® and has been in the real estate business for over 20 years. He has relocated over 2200 families with his personally trained staff of 11 professionals. Shafik is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board’s Prestigious Presidents Club, the MLS Master Medallion Club, and the RE/MAX Top 100.
Donald G. Goodale (better known as Don) is the co-founder of the Goodale Miller Team, a full-service brokerage renowned for its collaborative and hands-on approach to real estate. The team is comprised of 14 passionate real estate professionals who are dedicated to providing sellers and buyers with the most accurate, up-to-date intelligence and marketing initiatives. The Goodale Miller Team has been ranked the #1 team in Canada for Century 21 eleven times (the most recent being in 2013). The Goodale Miller Team was also ranked Century 21’s #1 team internationally for 2013.
MACDONALD REALTY WESTMAR
RE/MAX WESTCOAST
Richmond, BC
Richmond, BC
Juliette (YongHong) Zhang
Top 20 team for average sale price
Juliette (Yong Hong) Zhang is an award-winning REALTOR® at Macdonald Realty Westmar. She provides real estate services in Richmond and the surrounding areas in the Metro Vancouver area. Among other accolades, she was a Medallion member in 2013 and a Top Producer at Macdonald Realty Westmar in 2013.
Patti L. Martin
Patti Martin of RE/MAX Westcoast specializes in the purchase and sale of residential housing in Richmond, British Columbia. She has been selling real estate in the Richmond area since 1987. Patti is a serious and energetic professional; her candor and direct approach to challenges are the hallmarks of her success. Patti’s team is multi-national and multi-lingual, and can serve clients who speak Mandarin, Cantonese, and Shanghainese.
CENTURY 21 LEADING EDGE REALTY Stephen Tar Unionville, ON
Stephen Tar is the team leader of Century 21 Leading Edge Realty, Brokerage. Since 1982, he’s been helping clients throughout the Unionville and Markham areas make the most of their real estate opportunities. Whether he’s working with buyers or sellers, Stephen views them all as valued teammates; hence, he works extra hard to help them achieve their goals.
THE FARIS TEAM, ROYAL LEPAGE FIRST CONTACT REALTY, BROKERAGE Mark Faris Barrie, ON Top 20 team for volume and units sold
Founded in 2008 as a quaint husband and wife team, Mark and Joanna Faris’ Royal LePage First Contact Realty brokerage is now the number one Royal LePage team in Canada. Along with Broker of Record Derek Dunlop, the Farises have assembled a large, wide-ranging team that boasts a local expert for seemingly every corner of Simcoe County. To increase that expertise, the Faris Team invests heavily in its Realtors. “We enroll our sales partners in a variety of professional development and industry certification courses so that as a team we can offer our clients the most relevant and comprehensive service in the industry,” says Joanna Faris. To ensure a consistently pleasing client experience, the team also includes a Client Care Specialist and Feedback Coordinator, who provides clients with quick feedback once an open house has been completed. This investment into both agent development and customer service appears to be working – the Faris Team sold over 800 properties in 2015.
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FEATURES
COVER STORY: TOP TEAMS 2O16 ROYAL LEPAGE YOUR COMMUNITY
ROYAL PACIFIC REALTY CORP
Richmond Hill, ON
Vancouver, BC
Daryl King
Top 20 team for volume and units sold
“Everybody thinks they can have a team and its going to be successful,” says Daryl King, “but it’s not as easy as it looks” King, one of the first Realtors in Toronto to experiment with the team concept, has been one of the top agents in the GTA for decades and the staggering success of his 40-plus member team provides a number of lessons for anyone considering starting a their own. A key component of King’s Royal LePage Your Community is its reliance on a strict division of labour. King realized at a young age that specialization was going to play a big part in any success he would have, so he began hiring experienced experts to fill each position. “It’s like going to the dentist,” he says. “You only see the dentist when you’re going to have an operation.” King’s team members – listing agents, buying agents, marketing experts and multiple personal assistants – adhere to their specific duties, allowing for a machine-like, system-oriented approach that maximizes the team’s efficiency. King’s advice to realtors thinking of starting their own teams is to start slow and be realistic. He suggests starting with a part-time assistant and then adding team members as business increases. “You have to build up some credibility,” he says. “You have to build up your own experience and you have to make sure you can generate enough business for that team.”
Sarina Han
Top 20 team for volume and average sale price
Sarina Han is a real estate agent with Royal Pacific Realty Corp. and provides real estate services in Oakridge and other neighbourhoods in Vancouver. Sarina and her team are known for providing first class service and use a proven marketing strategy to help buyers and sellers close successful deals. Sarina and her team are also knowledgeable about all zoning bylaws, current market conditions, as well as the latest advertising techniques.
ROYAL PACIFIC REALTY CORP Winnie Y. Chung Vancouver, BC Top 20 team for volume and average sale price
ROYAL LEPAGE BURLOAK REAL ESTATE SERVICES Cathy Rocca Burlington, ON Top 20 team for volume and units sold
One of the teams making the most of the recent Burlington boom is Cathy and Tanya Rocca’s Royal LePage Burloak franchise. But according to Cathy Rocca, the success she, her sister and their 20-member team have been having has less to do with demand than it does with a dedication to building lasting relationships. “Our network speaks volumes in terms of what we provide to our clients,” Rocca says. “When somebody lists with us or works with us, they have the full gamut in terms of exposure.” After selling over 450 homes in 2015, the Rocca Sisters and Associates can provide future clients with a substantial pool of potential buyers. “Before a property even goes on the market, we have a huge network of people who we already know would potentially be looking for that property.” While honesty and community involvement have helped solidify the Rocca sisters’ reputation in the Burlington area, they are also a systematic and efficient office that invests heavily in the betterment of their agents. “We’re only as strong as our brand and those that represent us,” says Rocca.
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Winnie Y. Chung is an award-winning real estate agent with Royal Pacific Realty Corp. Over a career spanning more than 26 years, she has made more than 3,200 successful sales. For her efforts, Winnie has been awarded the Master Medallion and the President’s Gold Award, one of the highest honours of the real estate world.
ROYAL PACIFIC REALTY CORP Tammy Jin
Vancouver, BC Top 20 team for average sale price
Tammy Jin PREC is a real estate agent with Royal Pacific Realty Corp. She provides real estate services in West Vancouver and the surrounding areas. Royal Pacific Realty Corp. is Western Canada’s largest independent real estate organization, and strives to help buyers find their dream homes.
ROYAL LEPAGE REAL ESTATE SERVICES LTD Cailey Heaps Estrin Toronto, ON Top 20 team for average DOM and average sale price
Cailey Heaps Estrin’s Royal LePage team is renowned for the speed they move properties. Operating in Toronto’s central core helps, but Heaps Estrin attributes her team’s rapid sales to well-researched pricing and the comprehensive marketing plan they develop for every property they take on. “It’s a big expense,” says Heaps Estrin, “but we have a fairly broad reach.” She adds that the team’s intense pre-marketing efforts make a huge difference. “We have a ‘Coming Soon’ marketing phase, so by the time we actually hit the market there’s already some pent up demand.” Heaps Estrin Real Estate, originally only a threeperson staff that included Heaps Estrin’s mother, expanded to its current size only five years ago. One can only imagine what their focus on client care and honesty will lead to in the future.
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FEATURES
COVER STORY: TOP TEAMS 2O16 RE/MAX HALLMARK REALTY The Wright Sisters Toronto, ON
The Wright Sisters, Lindsay and Melanie, have been selling homes together in Central-East Toronto for almost two decades. They have won nearly every award RE/MAX has to give and are continually among the company’s top ten franchises. It’s not hard to see why. While every team talks about the service it provides, the Wrights take that notion to another level. The Wright Sisters differentiate themselves by providing a wealth of in-house services – from staging, design and building maintenance to property management and connecting clients with wholesale furniture dealers – that ensure quality control, speed and efficiency. “That’s really our value add,” says Lindsay Wright. “If we’re listing a home, we’re doing whatever’s necessary to make it shine.”
RE/MAX REALTRON SOLTANIAN REAL ESTATE
RE/MAX ABOUTOWNE REALTY CORP
Toronto, ON
Oakville, ON
Sharon Soltanian
Cindy M. Avis
Top 20 team for volume, average DOM and average sale price
Sharon Soltanian is the broker of record and founder of Soltanian Real Estate, Brokerage. Her ability to anticipate and understand market trends, as well as her combined expertise in mortgages, real estate management, and interior design, have made her Willowdale’s no. 1 broker since 2009. Sharon is an expert in marketing the properties listed with her, and she will take care of all the details to ensure that clients have a positive and stress-free experience. As a trained interior designer, Sharon can also help sellers stage their homes to highlight its best features, which ensures a great first impression.
Top 20 team for average sale price
After only three years as heads of their own RE/MAX Aboutowne team, Cindy Avis and Alex Irish are in possession of one of the top three RE/MAX teams in Canada. A collaborative effort between two top performers in the Oakville luxury market, Avis and Irish brought their sterling reputations together in an attempt to provide what Alex Irish calls “hands on, concierge-type” service. To provide that level of service, Avis and Irish have built a team of independently strong agents with their own client bases; but prior success is not the only criteria. “We don’t look for top agents,” Irish says. “We look for something that someone brings that we don’t have.” In their search for ethically and philosophically sound team members, Irish says potential agents must believe “everybody’s your biggest, most important client.” While Avis and Irish have no need to search out more talent— “We haven’t grown; we don’t want to grow,” says Irish – their cautious, highly selective manner of finding new agents has clearly paid off. “When you have a bad hire or an agent that doesn’t represent you well, it affects you – not just the team. It reflects on your reputation in the community.”
KELLER WILLIAMS ENERGY REAL ESTATE Shawn Lepp Whitby, ON Top 20 team for units sold and average DOM
Shawn Lepp is the team leader of the Shawn Lepp Group. As a licensed real estate agent with over 15 years of experience, Shawn and his team of knowledgeable professionals have sold hundreds of homes in the Durham Region. Prospective home buyers on the lookout for their dream homes in Ajax, Bowmanville, Courtice, Newcastle, Oshawa, Pickering, and other parts of the Durham Region often turn to the expertise and listings of the Shawn Lepp Group.
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SUTTON GROUP ASSOCIATES REALTY Josie Stern Toronto, ON Top 20 team for average DOM
By focusing their efforts on the same area for over 27 years, Josie Stern and her partner Valerie Benchitrit have developed one of the strongest, most trusted brands of any team in mid-town Toronto. But their traditional commitment to community is augmented by state of the art marketing, a thoughtful and wide-ranging blog and a dedication to hard data, making the Stern Team one to be reckoned with in the cut-throat Toronto market. In addition to their own well-honed skills, Stern and Benchitrit have assembled a small army of support staff, providing their clients access to a trusted team of home inspectors, lawyers, photographers and technology experts.
RE/MAX REAL ESTATE CENTRE INC Parveen Arora Brampton, ON Top 20 team for average DOM
PAUL ZAMMIT REAL ESTATE Paul Zammit Thornhill, ON Top 20 team for volume and average DOM
Paul Zammit has taken a circuitous route to becoming leader of one of the most successful independent teams in the GTA. Zammit started his career with Royal LePage, then ran his own firm for ten years and followed that up with a highly productive decade with RE/MAX. Even with the experience he gained from previously working on his own, Zammit says the return to independence was still daunting. “I don’t think a lot of people have the comfort level of leaving a brokerage like I did,” he says. Zammit compares building an independent team to initiating a start-up. “You don’t necessarily have stats and you don’t have what the big company was providing you in terms of overall regions.” But what Zammit did have, and what he says team leaders need when they start out, is extensive prior exposure, a strong local brand and an impeccable reputation.
Parveen Arora is a licensed broker and team leader at Team Arora. His team services the Mississauga, Toronto west, Toronto central, Brampton, and Caledon areas. He was ranked among the top 1% of brokers by RE/MAX/Integra for selling a large number of units in the greater Toronto Area in 2013-2015. According to the same awarding body, Parveen and his team sold over $100 million worth of real estate in 2015.
RE/MAX HALLMARK REALTY Mark Richards Toronto, ON Top 20 team for average DOM
Mark Richards is the team leader of The Richards Group. He heads a team of highly competent, knowledgeable, and experienced real estate professionals whose primary goal is to help clients achieve their dreams while minimizing the stress of a challenging process. For sellers, Mark and his team go beyond industry standards to prepare and sell homes for the highest price while generating the least amount of stress. As for buyers, The Richards Group will provide all the renovation and design support that is needed so that buyers end up purchasing the home of their dreams.
OFFICE
TOP 20 - VOLUME TEAM LEAD
Angell Hasman E Christiansen
Eric Christiansen
Century 21 Miller Real Estate
Donald G. Goodale
Harvey Kalles Real Estate
Robert S. Greenberg
My Move Realty
Ravi Singh Duhra
Paul Zammit Real Estate
Paul Zammit
Re/max Lifestyles Realty
Ron Antalek
Re/max Realtron Realty
N. Barry Cohen
Re/max Realtron Soltanian Real Estate Inc
Sharon Soltanian
Re/max Select Properties
Paul Eviston
Re/max Select Properties
Layla Z. Y. Yang
Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services
Cathy Rocca
Royal LePage First Contact Realty, Brokerage
Mark Faris
Royal LePage Real Estate Services
Loretta Dawn Phinney
Royal LePage Sussex J Soprovich
Jason Soprovich
Royal LePage Your Community Realty
Daryl King
Royal Pacific Realty Corp
Sarina Han
Royal Pacific Realty Corp
Winnie Y Chung
Sam McDadi Real Estate
Sam Allan McDadi
Save Max Real Estate
Raman Dua
Sutton Group Innie Lam And Assoc
Winnie Lam
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FEATURES
COVER STORY: TOP TEAMS 2O16 RE/MAX CREST WESTSIDE VANW7 Michael Rampf Vancouver, BC
In addition to the clear communication and precise systems their team runs on, Mike Rampf and Shawn Anderson’s VanCity Living crew prides itself on its refusal to close deals at the expense of their clients. “We’re going to be the first people to say, ‘No, this is not a good property. You shouldn’t be buying it,’” says Rampf. “We lose deals on a regular basis, but it’s not about just getting the deals done, it’s about getting the right deal done.” Rampf says everyone on the VanCity Living team is in the industry for the long haul, and that the relationships they build with their clients are critical to long term success. Rampf knows that his clients have not always been prepared to hear an honest appraisal of their options, but says they “are really thankful now.”
RE/MAX HALLMARK REALTY Allister John Sinclair Toronto, ON Top 20 team for average DOM
Allister (Al) John Sinclair is a sales representative and founder of the Al Sinclair Team. Al started out as a real estate investor in 1985 and quickly became one of the most successful investors and landlords in Toronto. Fully licensed by 1987, Al soon became the top agent of choice for many investors because of his experience and attention to detail. He now heads a team that boasts several university degree holders, two law clerks, a property manager, an investment consultant, a builder/landscape architect, two marketing majors, an on-site broker, a technical adviser, and a real estate lawyer. Al continues to oversee every aspect of every transaction.
HOMELIFE EAGLE REALTY Hans Ohrstrom Richmond Hill, ON Top 20 team for average DOM
Hans Ohrstrom is the broker of record for the Hans Ohrstrom Real Estate Team— Homelife’s #1 real estate team in the GTA. The team provides real estate services in Newmarket, Aurora, Bradford, Richmond Hill, Oak Ridges, and East Gwillimbury. Hans has over 14 years of experience as a professional real estate agent, and was the #3 top producer among Homelife’s 5,000 real estate agents in 2012.
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SUTTON GROUP WINNIE LAM AND ASSOC Winnie Lam Vancouver, BC Top 20 team for volume and units sold
Winnie Lam is an award-winning realtor based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She heads Sutton Group - Winnie Lam & Associates Realty. Winnie attained membership in the Medallion Club just two years after becoming a member of the Real Estate Board of greater Vancouver, and has maintained her membership for the last 18 years. She also earned a membership in the Medallion President’s Club.
DAN GEMUS REAL ESTATE TEAM Dan Gemus
Amherstburg, ON
The Windsor market has unexpectedly kicked into high gear this year, with sold-over-asking stickers being affixed to signs at an unprecedented rate. “If, as a Realtor, you don’t have the proper training or the right surroundings,” says Dan Gemus, “you’re going to have a very hard time in a market like this.” While Gemus makes training and culture-building central to his team, it is the effort they pour into media – and not just of the social variety – that he says has made a massive difference. Gemus’ team hosts a weekly radio show every Sunday, has produced a video series on the region’s wineries and highlights local businesses on its popular Youtube channel, illustrating to potential clients not only the wealth of amenities in the region, but also the lengths to which Gemus’ team will go for them.
ROYAL LEPAGE REAL ESTATE SERVICES LTD
LIVING REALTY INC Bonnie B. Wan
Matthew Joseph Regan
Markham, ON Mississauga, ON
Top 20 team for average sale price
Bonnie B. Wan is one half of the superb Wan Team (the other half being Daniel Wan). They’re a highly regarded powerhouse real estate couple, and assist homebuyers in the Richmond Hill, Bayview Hill, Markham, and Thornhill areas. Both migrated to Canada from Greater China in the 1980s and soon developed a pioneering approach to real estate, known as the ‘Living Real Estate’ approach. The Living Real Estate approach combines impassioned selling with smart analytics. The Wan Team’s track record of success has led to numerous industry accolades—and a long list of happy clients
Top 20 team for average DOM
Matthew Regan’s Royal LePage team is expecting to do at least $40 million more in sales this year than they did in 2015. When asked why his 10-member crew is generating so much more business, Regan says it has everything to do with customer service. “Two years ago we really changed up our systems and the way we go about doing business, to focus right on the client – get right in there, get to know them, get to know what their goals are.” Regan calls what his team provides its clients “the Ritz Carlton approach”, and it appears to be working – 85% of the team’s business now comes from referrals. “Once you really begin to understand how to deliver service it begins to change the culture, the team and it leads to better years, year in and year out.”
RE/MAX KELOWNA Tamara & Shannon Stone Kelowna, ON
FAITH WILSON GROUP Faith Wilson Vancouver, BC Top 20 team for average sale price
For over 20 years, the Faith Wilson Group has helped buyers and sellers navigate Vancouver’s complex residential real estate market. The brokerage specializes in the buying, marketing, and selling of residential properties on the west side. Faith Wilson was recognized as the Top REALTOR® in Vancouver’s west side for four years running (2012-2015). To achieve top-level sales results, the Faith Wilson Group utilizes a unique team structure wherein each member has a hand in supporting the goals of the clients. It’s this kind of commitment to service that inspired the team to publish its 360° Performance Promise—a 10-point pledge to keep clients informed at all stages of the buying and selling process, and to implement industryleading marketing techniques.
Tamara and Shannon Stone partnered up 12 years ago to form the Stone Sisters. In that time they have added another eight staff members and are now RE/MAX’s top team in the white-hot Kelowna, BC, market. In addition to bringing in top-notch coaching courtesy of Ken Goodfellow, the Stones have been able to energize and inspire their agents by helping them maintain work-life balance. “We expect our team members to work extremely hard,” says Shannon, “but we also expect them to take time off and enjoy life.” Agents working at Stone Sisters have a mandatory day off every week and are brought in for bi-weekly one-on-one meetings to make sure their goals, both professional and personal, are attainable.
RE/MAX HALLMARK BATORI GROUP INC David Batori Toronto, ON Top 20 team for average DOM
David Batori is the broker of record at RE/MAX Hallmark Batori Group, which services the Toronto central and Allenby areas. David strives to match every individual and family with their dream home through perseverance, careful attention to their wishes, and a genuine love of his work. His strong work ethic and perseverance have certainly paid off: In 2014, David was ranked among the top three RE/MAX agents in Canada and was ranked number six out of over 113,385 RE/MAX agents in 83 countries worldwide. David is a strong believer in giving back to his community, and contributes his time and resources to local charities.
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FEATURES
COVER STORY: TOP TEAMS 2O16 RE/MAX PERFORMANCE REALTY INC Shahid Saleem Khawaja Mississauga, ON
TONY JOE & ASSOCIATES Tony Joe
Victoria, BC
“From a team leader standpoint, it’s really important to have a team that attracts people instead of constantly being on the lookout for new team members,” says Tony Joe of his Oak Bay-based team. One way Joe increases the appeal of his group is by becoming deeply involved in the Victoria community. “It’s turned out to be one of my primary jobs,” he says. While sitting on local boards concerned with hospice care and transition houses “don’t necessarily create leads or bring us business,” Joe says such efforts impress potential hires, who are then inspired to do their best work for a company they respect. “That’s not something you can buy.”
Shahid Saleem Khawaja is one of the top real estate agents in the GTA. His extensive knowledge of each facet of the real estate industry places him among the top 1% of real estate agents. He mainly services the Mississauga, Milton, Brampton, and Toronto areas. Shahid is committed to providing his clients with the best service, whether they’re buying or selling, by guiding them through the various stages of each real estate deal. Shahid also charges low commission rates, helps buyers obtain the best mortgage rates in the market, and helps sellers sell their houses quickly with his effective marketing strategies.
SUTTON GROUP HERITAGE REALTY INC Tanya Martine Tierney Whitby, ON Top 20 team for units sold and average DOM
Tanya Martine Tierney has been a resident of Durham Region all her life and now resides in Brooklin with her beloved family. She made an immediate splash in her first year in real estate, selling over 20 properties. In her fourth year, she was able to sell over $15 million in real estate, ranking her eighth in her company. Tanya was also named the top agent in her company from 2010-2015, beating over 200 other realtors. She handpicked the professionals who make up the Tanya Tierney Team Realty, Brokerage. Whether clients are buying or selling, her team is committed to giving each client the highest level of professionalism, attention to detail, and service.
CENTURY 21 IRV TREMBLAY REALTY
MACDONALD REALTY
Regina, SK
Vancouver, BC
Irvin Tremblay
The average realtor in Canada sells roughly ten properties a year. In 2015, Irv Tremblay and his two sales associates sold over 130. This year, with the staff trimmed down to two because of an extended maternity leave, the Irv Tremblay Team will complete over 100 transactions. Tremblay is justifiably proud of his per-agent numbers, which he attributes to one thing. “The reason it’s very high is nothing more than really cutting edge training,” he says. “Every one of our agents has one of the top coaches in North America that guides us in what we do on a daily basis.” Tremblay and his team members report their numbers and prospecting situation every day and receive coaching on a new subject every week, which Tremblay says helps hold everyone accountable for their performance. “That is not the norm in real estate.” While the costs associated with coaching are unquestionably high – Tremblay says he has spent over $400,000 on coaching over the course of his career – the results are undeniable. “That $400,000 has probably made me a million. It’s not an expense, it’s a profit center.”
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Clair Rockel
Top 20 team for average DOM and sale price
Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Clair Rockel has extensive knowledge of the neighbourhoods, architecture, and history of her native city—knowledge which she harnesses to the benefit of buyers and sellers. Whether clients need a house for their growing families, or are interested in downsizing or investing, Clair has a proven track record. She and her dynamic team (known as The Rockel Group) can help clients meet their real estate goals and close successful deals.
ROYAL LEPAGE REAL ESTATE SERVICES Loretta Dawn Phinney Mississauga, ON Top 20 team for volume and units sold
Royal LePage’s number one team seven times in the last 10 years, Team Phinney has maintained a level of consistency and success most in the industry can only dream of. But for Loretta Phinney, who established the team over two decades ago, remaining at the top of the crowded GTA market is not about marketing or fighting for every listing, it’s about values. Phinney aims to maintain the warm, familial atmosphere the business was born out of. Her close-knit team includes her husband, Ron; their daughter, Kimberly; their son, Michael Phinney, and his wife, Anna. As the team has expanded to a healthy 18 members, the new additions have almost always been trusted friends of the family, Phinney says. “They have to have the same philosophy as ours, the same work ethic. They have to have respect for clients and a lot of self-respect. That type of integrity has to be there.”
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FEATURES
COVER STORY: TOP TEAMS 2O16 DECLUTE REAL ESTATE Rick Declute Toronto, ON Top 20 team for units sold an average DOM
IMS declared Rick DeClute the number one broker in Toronto in 2015, and with his team’s July numbers showing a year-over-year increase of 33%, they are looking at another year at the top. DeClute’s properties fly off the market, something he attributes to his team’s status as an independent, which allows them to “advertise and syndicate our listings anywhere we want with any companies we want rather than being governed by a larger brokerage or corporation that has their own agendas.” DeClute says his team works very closely with other agents across the Toronto marketplace. “We’re having them into our listings on the same time basis that our own agents get in. People are not getting preferential treatment.” By treating competing agents – and their competing offers – fairly, Declute has found an open, mutually beneficial method of finding sellers for his listings. Being independent has allowed DeClute’s team to focus on the job at hand. “Our only source of income is selling real estate,” he says, “not renting desks.”
SUTTON GROUP SEAFAIR REALTY
RE/MAX SELECT PROPERTIES
Richmond, BC
Vancouver, BC
Kathy Xu
Top 20 team for average sale price
Kathy Xu is a real estate agent with Sutton Group - Seafair Realty. She provides real estate services in Marpole, Riverdale, Richmond, Brighouse, Granville, Boyd Park, and other areas. Kathy and her colleagues at Sutton service all types of commercial buyers, sellers, and investors. Since 1983, Sutton has worked hard to maintain its position as one of the most respected and recognized real estate firms in Canada. The company’s commitment to outstanding customer service has earned it a loyal clientele and a valuable list of referrals.
Layla Z. Y. Yang
Top 20 team for volume and average sale price
Layla Yang PREC of RE/MAX Select Properties is a top realtor who specializes in luxury real estate in Vancouver and Richmond. In 2008, she became licensed with the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. Layla works passionately and tirelessly to stay on top of the latest developments in the ever changing real estate industry. Layla’s honours include being named among the Top 1% of all greater Vancouver REALTORS® from 2013-2015. She was also a Medallion President’s Club Member from 2013-2015.
SUTTON GROUP WEST COAST REALTY James Garbutt Coquitlam, BC
James Garbutt and Denny Dumas partnered up three years ago, but it wasn’t until 2015 when the team began generating huge numbers, selling 108 properties; in the first six months of 2016, the Garbutt Dumas Team had already sold 100. Improved systems and the blossoming of Garbutt’s partner have been factors in the team’s success, but Garbutt says SEO optimization of the business’ web content is making a huge difference. “That is our secret weapon right there,” he says. “Five years ago, we might have done three to five sales from people finding us on the internet. This year, that might be more like thirty.” Garbutt says SEO optimization is a laborious process with a steep learning curve, but in an age where a coordinated attack of blogs, videos and social media is key to attracting clients, an improved Google ranking should be a priority. “When you market well and eliminate the need to have to pick up the phone and call people for business, you have a lot more time just to let the business land on your lap and do it well.”
KELLER WILLIAMS EXPERIENCE REALTY Peggy Hill Barrie, ON Top 20 team for units sold
Peggy Hill is an entrepreneur, mother, and passionate people person. She’s also a broker and founder of the Peggy Hill Team at Keller Williams Experience Realty. Peggy has been helping people in Barrie and the surrounding areas buy and sell real estate for the last 13 years. The Peggy Hill Team consists of passionate, professional agents and employees who’re armed with practical skills and knowledge. The team uses their combined assets to help buyers and sellers get the best prices on their home purchases and sales.
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OFFICE
RE/MAX ALL STARS REALTY Brett Puckrin Port Perry, ON
The Puckrin and Latreille team is closing in on selling 150 properties this year. While Brett Puckrin admits that his team’s shift toward digital marketing and advanced analytics has accounted for a portion of the group’s growth, he says it is their combined 100 years of local expertise that sets them apart. “If you have a well problem, a septic problem or some type of real estate problem, there’s not much we haven’t seen, and we can source that solution very easily.” Puckrin’s team is regularly consulted by the media, lawyers and even their competition for their unrivaled insight, a critical tool in a market bolstered by out-of-town cottage investors.
TOP 20 - AVERAGE DOM TEAM LEAD
AJ Lamba Realty Group
Aj Lamba
Dan Plowman Team Realty
Dan Plowman
Declute Real Estate
Rick Declute
Harvey Kalles Real Estate
Robert S. Greenberg
Homelife Eagle Realty
Hans Ohrstrom
Keller Williams Energy Real Estate
Shawn Lepp
Macdonald Realty
Clair Rockel
Paul Zammit Real Estate
Paul Zammit
Re/max Hallmark Batori Group
David Batori
RE/MAX Hallmark Realty
Mark Richards
RE/MAX Hallmark Realty
Allister John Sinclair
RE/MAX Premier
Vesna Kolenc
RE/MAX Real Estate Centre
Parveen Arora
RE/MAX Realtron Soltanian Real Estate
Sharon Soltanian
RE/MAX Select Realty
Ruth Chuang
Royal Lepage Real Estate Services
Cailey Heaps Estrin
Royal Lepage Real Estate Services
Matthew Joseph Regan
Save Max Real Estate
Raman Dua
Sutton Group Associates Realty
Josie Stern
Sutton Group Heritage Realty
Tatanya Martine Tierney
THE BAGOGLOO TEAM, RE/MAX NOVA Thomas Bagogloo
RE/MAX REALTY SPECIALISTS LTD Gilbert Smith St. John’s, NL
Finding a niche in a small market can make all the difference. By focusing on new construction in the St. John’s area, Team Smith Real Estate has been able to become one of the top RE/MAX franchises in Atlantic Canada. Team leader Gil Smith says up to 70% of the team’s business comes from new construction, which often spins off into listing opportunities. “If you came to me today and you wanted to have a house built,” he says, “the first thing I’ll ask you is, ‘Do you have a house to sell?’” Estimating that 80% of new home buyers have older homes to sell, Smith sees these clients as potential double customers that help reduce the effort needed for soliciting.
Halifax, NS
The Bagogloo Team has been the number one RE/MAX team in Atlantic Canada since 2009 and was recently awarded the company’s Circle of Legends award, one of its highest honors. One of the most notable features of the team is its high ratio of client care specialists to sales associates. “We’re giving more of our time to our clients,” says Thomas Bagogloo, “instead of getting bogged down on the necessary daily duties that really hold back a lot of agents when they work individually.” This enables the team to follow up with its database of 20,000 clients. The team receives daily automated notifications that identify which clients are due for personal contact – something as simple as a text or phone call – which Bagogloo says allows them to provide “that personal experience and guidance to the client.”
CIR REALTY John Mayberry Calgary, AB
In 2015, their first full year of operation, the Calgary Homeboys sold over 80 properties – not bad for a team operating in a city where sales are plummeting. The team is on pace to have an even stronger year in 2016, and is currently CIR’s top producer. Team leader John Mayberry says that leveraging his sales associates’ innate competitiveness has been key to spurring them on to greater success. His agents are ranked based on closed deals and are able to view each other’s performance at any time. “If you’re in any way competitive, it definitely lights a fire under you,” Mayberry says. His team also carries on a running WhatsApp group chat, where they can post their sales and give each other virtual high-fives. “If you’re seeing your buddies doing all the sales,” Mayberry says, “it drives you to get out there and hit the pavement.”
RE/MAX REAL ESTATE SERVICES Christina Watts Vancouver, BC
Christina Watts is a REALTOR® at RE/MAX Real Estate Services. She has been selling residential real estate since 1992, with dual markets in Tsawwassen, Ladner, Richmond, White Rock, and Vancouver. Christina and her team specialize in new construction, farmland, business opportunities, relocation, foreclosure property, luxury residences, residential acreages, lakefront property, development land, and other types of property.
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COVER STORY: TOP TEAMS 2O16 ROYAL LEPAGE SUSSEX J SOPROVICH Jason Soprovich West Vancouver, BC Top 20 team for volume and average sale price
ROYAL LEPAGE BROOKSIDE REALTY Danny Gerbrandt Maple Ridge, BC Top 20 team for units sold
“I’m not going to tell you I’ve come up with a new way to make it in this business,” says Danny Gerbrandt. “All it really boils down to is going to work every day.” Gerbrandt and his partner Claudio Sortore, both Royal LePage President’s Club members before joining forces eight years ago, moved over $200 million in real estate in the first eight months of 2016. Despite being at the top of a crowded Vancouver market, Gerbrandt says success is based on nothing more than “basic customer service, which I guess this world’s missing a little bit of.” Still, Gerbrandt’s version of customer service might go beyond that of others. “I do every public thing I can possibly do. I’m there no matter what.” The team’s online presence is limited, and they haven’t taken a seat on the SEO bandwagon, but their traditional approach is working. “The numbers don’t lie. It boils down to going to work every day and helping people out.”
According to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, Jason Soprovich has ranked amongst the top 5% of all Vancouver realtors in the Lower Mainland since 1993. Jason is also a Royal LePage National Chairman’s Club Top 10 Award Designate. He has sold millions of dollars in luxury residential real estate over the last 22 years, and is an expert at marketing and selling luxury waterfront properties.
REGENT PARK REALTY INC Gary Geng
Vancouver, BC Top 20 team for average sale price
Gary Geng is a real estate agent with Regent Park Realty. He provides real estate services in Oaklands, Brighouse, Dunbar, Kerrisdale, Capitol Hill, Shaughnessy, Burke Mountain, and other areas. Regent Park Realty is one of the largest independent full service real estate companies on Vancouver’s west side. The company specializes in providing professional, attentive, and personalized services to their clients.
RE/MAX HOUSE OF REAL ESTATE
Frances Dares & Thomas Ferianec Calgary, AB
The Urban Upgrade team was able to sell over $112 million worth of property in 2015 and are on pace to equal that number this year. In tough economic times, says team co-leader Thomas Ferianec, success comes down to “those fundamentals of making sure that you’re marketing your properties appropriately and making sure that you’re being honest with your clientele when it comes to what you need to do to get the property sold.” His philosophy extends to agents as well. “When times are good, you have a tendency to slip away from the fundamental activities that make you successful.” By ensuring they are reviewing and strengthening the strategies that got them where they are today, Ferianec feels he is preparing his team for what lies ahead tomorrow.
RE/MAX COLONIAL PACIFIC REALTY Glenn Dennis White Rock, BC Top 20 team for average sale price
Glenn Dennis’ RE/MAX team consistently ranks in the top 15 of the company’s western Canada franchises. Dennis chalks up their consistent success to a number of factors – investing in each listing, running a fully bilingual service to cater to BC’s Chinese population – but most important among them might be Dennis’ team’s philosophy of treating clients as if they are part of the team. Prior to listing, Dennis and his partners sit down with their clients to ensure “everybody is in agreement. We come together with the game plan, how we’re going to market the property. We go through and talk about how we normally do it, make sure that everything is fine with them. If we’re working together from day one, we’ll be much more successful in the long run.”
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NEW COAST REALTY
ROYAL LEPAGE REAL ESTATE SERVICES
Sandra Li
Richmond, BC
Sandra Li is a real estate agent and team leader at New Coast Realty. Established in 2012, New Coast Realty has its head office in Richmond, BC, and is rapidly expanding into other areas, including Vancouver and Burnaby. New Coast Realty’s scope of business includes real estate investment, buying and selling of residential and commercial properties, property management, investment consultation, realtor licensing exam training and preparation, as well as real estate marketing strategy training.
RE/MAX LIFESTYLES REALTY Ron Antalek
Maple Ridge, BC Top 20 team for volume and units sold
Ron Antalek has been putting up ridiculous numbers for years. He was regularly selling over 300 properties a year on his own before starting what is now the top RE/MAX team in British Columbia. While some Realtors start a team to increase their numbers, Antalek did so for his family and for his own peace of mind. When asked why he didn’t continue on his own when he was already one of the most productive RE/MAX agents in the country, Antalek says, “Try doing that. When do you see your kids?” Antalek’s small team has enabled him to not only spend more time with his two children, it has also allowed him to devote more time to the Maple Ridge community. His community involvement, while personally enriching, has also provided Antalek the opportunity to build relationships and enhance the reputation of his team, a critical role of any successful team leader. While Antalek still puts in serious hours and remains connected to his database, leading his team hasn’t been about elevated sales, “it has improved customer service and given me a better quality of life.”
SUTTON GROUP SEAFAIR REALTY Samuel Cheung Richmond, BC
Samuel Cheung PREC (Sutton Group - Seafair Realty) has more than 20 years of experience in property investment and management, and has managed over $2.5 billion in development projects. Additionally, Samuel has sold over 450 real estate properties since 2010, totalling over $500 million in value. His awards include the President’s Club (won the Top 1% of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver) and the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver
Dan Cooper Oakville, ON
“The face of real estate is changing on a daily basis,” says Dan Cooper, “so I think if anyone wants to be successful these days they have to be a bit of a chameleon.” Cooper’s continued success in the GTA has been the result of anticipating and adapting to changes in the market since 1990. “You have to have products and services well above what other people are doing. You have to have the latest and greatest inventions and concepts to utilize – otherwise you will be left behind.” Cooper’s group is on the leading edge when it comes to changing technology – most notably their use of LinkedIn and 3D – and respond quickly to shifts in the market. When Cooper realized the frequency with which his properties were entering into bidding wars in the spring, he developed a method of keeping new properties exclusive as a way to generate hype while preparing the marketing back-end. “Anything’s that working we embrace.”
TOP PRODUCERS REALTY Mindy Mcpherson Mission, BC Top 20 team for units sold
If there’s one word that can be used to describe Mindy McPherson, it’s “relentless”. She persevered through the ups and downs of the real estate market. Her hard work has paid off, making her the Top Realtor of the 3000 Fraser Valley Real Estate Board Realtors year after year. Whether it’s buying, selling, or investing, Mindy’s strong negotiating skills, cutting-edge marketing strategies, and profound understanding of the market ensure that her clients are satisfied every time.
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FEATURES
COVER STORY: TOP TEAMS 2O16 JASON MUNN...THE SMART MOVE TEAM
THE HAMRE REAL ESTATE TEAM
Fredericton, NB
Ottawa, ON
Jason Munn
One of the toughest decisions a team leader faces is whether or not to expand. For Jason Munn, whose two-person team racked up 178 sales in Fredericton last year, staying small is the only option. It has resulted in 7-day weeks for Munn, an admitted workaholic, but it allows him to both keep an eye on his clients – Munn fears that a larger team might lead to detachment and confusion among clients – as well as the bottom line. “I don’t know if it makes a lot of sense to have five more people on my team to boast that I have sixty more ends and I just paid it out in wages,” he says. “You could probably have a team that does 150 ends on a staff of 6, but by the time wages are paid it’s no different than one agent doing 80 ends on their own.”
RE/MAX PREMIER Vesna Kolenc Woodbridge, ON Top 20 team for average DOM
Vesna Kolenc is a sales representative at RE/MAX Premier Inc., Brokerage. She’s a polyglot and can converse in English, French, German, Croatian, Macedonian, and other languages. Aside from her impressive communication skills, Vesna has developed a reputation for giving her clients the very best service. Her strong work ethic has made her the #1 agent in Vaughan at Re/MAX Premier for the last several years. Vesna has an amazing support team, including a licensed assistant, a buyer agent, as well as painters and repair people. With Vesna at the helm, homes get sold quickly and for top dollar.
Greg and Steve Hamre
Greg and Steve Hamre, carrying on the family business started by their mother Shirley 36 years ago, have spent the last two decades in RE/MAX’s top 100. “This is our last career,” says Greg Hamre. “This is not a hobby for us.” While referrals and repeat business play a significant part in the Hamres success, it is their mastery of video that stands out. The Hamres were using video in 2009, years before it became all the rage in the industry. Hamre says the key to a video’s success, in both sales and Google terms, is to make it unique. “A lot of people tell you they do video, and it’s a slide show with elevator music.” To ensure buyers – and their agents – know exactly what they’re buying, Hamre’s videos are detailed, descriptive and of impeccable visual quality. Adding commentary adds to the video’s uniqueness, improving its Google ranking and putting it in front of a larger audience. “That’s what you need,” says Hamre. “Eyeballs.”
AJ LAMBA REALTY GROUP AJ Lamba
RE/MAX ABSOLUTE TW REALTY Angelo Toscano and Geoff Walker Orleans, ON
Having sold over 300 properties in 2015, it’s clear that the strategies being employed by Angelo Toscano and Geoff Walker are working. They have leveraged their past client database into repeat business, partnered up with respected developers in the Ottawa area and utilized radio advertising to full effect, but it is their focus on niche expertise that demands attention. According to Walker, his team has a specialist for almost every demographic – millennials, first-time buyers, divorcees, the elderly – who is responsible for educating and marketing to their particular group. In-depth seminars and direct marketing campaigns are developed for every niche, which create lasting relationships and present the team to the community as trustworthy, educated and willing to go the extra mile.
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Mississauga, ON Top 20 team for units sold and average DOM
AJ Lamba worked as a real estate agent at RE/MAX for many years, and officially launched his own brokerage, AJ Lamba Realty Group, in May 2012. He and his team of highly competent, hand-picked professionals have helped numerous clients in the GTA buy and sell their homes. AJ’s team prides itself on delivering amazing results and following a strict “walk the talk” policy. Among the team’s most notable achievements include closing over $100 million in sales over the last three years, and winning a Gold Award for best realtor in Mississauga.
RE/MAX ABOUTOWNE REALTY CORP Christopher Invidiata Oakville, ON Top 20 team for average sale price
In an industry where social media mastery and advanced analytics increasingly drive business and generate leads, Christopher Invidiata comes across as somewhat of an anomaly. His belief in respectful, pure dealings with clients is sincere – as is his disdain for rankings, which he sees as ego-feeders that ultimately matter very little to clients. Invidiata’s team has been built on a philosophy of caring and connection. His agents arguably know more about their clients’ lives than any other team could ever hope for, and their dominance in the Oakville market speaks volumes about the power of human contact.
www.repmag.ca
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FEATURES
COVER STORY: TOP TEAMS 2O16 MACDONALD REALTY
RE/MAX PREMIER
Vancouver, BC
Toronto, ON
Lorne Goldman
Lorne Goldman is an award-winning professional REALTOR® at Macdonald Realty’s Vancouver West office. He has more than 36 years of experience buying and selling homes in the greater Vancouver area. On February 20, 2008, Brian Naphtali, president of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, presented Lorne with the Life Membership Award. This designation is presented to salespeople who’ve achieved Medallion Club Status for 20 consecutive years. In the history of the Real Estate Board, only 85 people have achieved this distinction.
Lino Achille Arci
A big part of Lino and Italia Arci’s approach to running their team is keeping their agents inspired. Momentum is critical in real estate, so maximizing their team’s focus and mental energy has become an ongoing challenge for the Arcis. They have enlisted some of the world’s best known life coaches and business gurus, including Tony Robbins, and look at selling or buying a house as their way of changing people’s lives. This philosophy imbues each transaction with a greater sense of urgency, significance and satisfaction for all involved. In addition to constant coaching and communication, the Arcis have also started a book club for their agents, in which they explore aspirational literature together. (Their most recent selection was Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.) The book club not only exposes team members to transformational ideas, it also brings them together as both colleagues and individuals. Italia Arci says the team reads “hundreds of books” a year and that the process has been “a transformational occurrence for the team.”
ANGELL HASMAN E. CHRISTIANSEN
ROYAL LEPAGE REAL ESTATE SERVICES
West Vancouver, BC
Oakville, ON
Eric Christiansen
Top 20 team for volume and average sale price
Eric Christiansen is a real estate agent with Angell Hasman (E. Christiansen). For the 13th consecutive year, Eric has sold more west Vancouver homes than any other REALTOR®. Eric’s professional services include a detailed analysis and aggressive marketing plan, which ensures that his clients get the highest level of representation and guidance. Eric is also a respected authority within the real estate community and has 26 years of dedicated experience.
Rina DiRisio
Cliff Rego Rina DiRisio is a lifetime resident of Oakville, Ontario, and has been successfully selling real estate in the area since 1989. She is an award–winning agent with Royal LePage Real Estate Services and is among the top 1% in Canada. Rina is committed to staying on the cutting edge of real estate innovations and industry advances. She is renowned for providing clients with expert advice, unparalleled customer service, individualized marketing strategies, and superb negotiating skills that deliver impressive results.
RE/MAX SELECT REALTY Ruth Chuang Vancouver, BC Top 20 team for average DOM
Ruth Chuang is the co-founder of the Ruth and David Group—a multi-lingual and inter-generational group of award-winning real estate professionals who’re more like family than colleagues. The team has more than 60 years of combined experience in Vancouver real estate, and are renowned for their expertise and unparalleled customer service. The team has been the recipient of every level of award from both RE/MAX and the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.
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RE/MAX REAL ESTATE CENTRE Cambridge, ON
Cliff Rego’s team was dominating the KitchenerCambridge-Waterloo area back when they were still a part of the RE/MAX family, but since branching out on their own they have been able to diversify and hone their expertise, which Rego says has been the key to increasing their sales by 40% over 2015, a year in which they moved over 420 properties. Each of Rego’s agents is a specialist in a particular segment of the market, and clients are matched with an agent custom-suited to their specific needs. “We’re not getting just anyone meeting with anyone,” says Rego. “If it’s a seller that’s calling us on a certain price point or certain area, we’re going to make sure the right agent who knows the area inside out, who specializes in that area, will meet with that seller.” Rego says the strategy hit its stride five years ago; since then the team has been on fire.
TOP 20 - UNITS
CENTURY 21 ADVANTAGE REALTY Janice Resch (The Consider It Done Team) Red Deer, AB
RE/MAX AUSTIN KAY REALTY Austin Kay
Richmond, BC
Any team moving over 130 units anywhere in Alberta these days deserves some attention. The Consider It Done Team, one of Century 21’s top five teams in Canada, has been selling together for just under six years, and in that time they have combined their eclectic talents to create a truly collaborative entity, where senior member Janice Resch’s 21 years of experience in the Red Deer area are bolstered by the marketing, exposure and technological expertise of her associates. No one at Consider It Done is considered team leader, per se; the team’s strategies and approaches are based on equal input, with there being none of the top-down hegemony found on many teams. Says Kim Fox, a member of the Consider It Done Team since 2011, “It’s really just about the people and staying focused.”
Austin Kay and his wife Anita Chan had the number one RE/MAX West Coast team in 2015. They have over 40 years of combined experience and intense focus on marketing both themselves and their properties has made them a ubiquitous presence in Richmond. “Over the years,” Kay says, “people have hopefully got our names and our brand embedded in their minds so when the time does come that they need to do something with real estate our names are in the back of their heads.” So successful has their branding been that the team regularly receives referrals from complete strangers, people Kay says “we haven’t done business with, that have referred business to us just because they’ve seen us in the market.” That’s the power of a good reputation.
RE/MAX REAL ESTATE SERVICES Michelle Yu Vancouver, BC Top 20 team for average sale price
Michelle Yu is a REALTOR® and is the team leader of the award-winning Team Michelle Yu. Her team is among Vancouver’s top 1% of REALTORS® and is renowned for providing exceptional real estate services to an international clientele. Since 1994, Michelle has forged a path with her innovative marketing strategies balanced by her traditional down-to-earth style of putting clients first. With a degree in Economics combined with experience in both the real estate and mortgage industries, Michelle brings a wealth of knowledge to the table, helping clients achieve their real estate dreams.
OFFICE
TEAM LEAD
AJ Lamba Realty Group
Aj Lamba
Dan Plowman Team Realty
Dan Plowman
Declute Real Estate
Rick Declute
Homelife Benchmark Rlty Clov
Edith Katronis
Keller Williams Energy Real Estate
Shawn Lepp
Keller Williams Experience Realty
Peggy Hill
My Move Realty
Ravi Singh Duhra
Polygon Realty
Patricia Y Lok
Re/max Lifestyles Realty
Ron Antalek
Re/max Progroup Realty
Fraser W Elliott
Royal LePage Brookside Realty
Danny Gerbrandt
Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services
Cathy Rocca
Royal LePage First Contact Realty, Brokerage
Mark Faris
Royal LePage Real Estate Services
Loretta Dawn Phinney
Royal LePage Your Community Realty
Daryl King
Sam McDadi Real Estate
Sam Allan McDadi
Save Max Real Estate
Raman Dua
Sutton Group Heritage Realty
Tatanya Martine Tierney
Sutton Group Innie Lam And Assoc
Winnie Lam
Top Producers Realty
Mindy Mcpherson
RENNIE MARKETING SYSTEMS Tracie L .Mctavish Vancouver, BC
Tracie McTavish, executive director of Rennie Marketing Systems, has a real estate career that spans 40 years, including five years in a leadership role at Concord Pacific. During his 12-year tenure at Rennie, Tracie has guided not only the growth of Rennie as a company, but also the evolution of Vancouver as
a city. For over 38 years, Rennie Marketing Systems has established long-term relationships with Canada’s top real estate developers and professionals. With billions of dollars in residential sales to date, the RMS team’s approach and performance is unparalleled, and acknowledged as the finest in the industry.
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FEATURES
COVER STORY: TOP TEAMS 2O16 ROYAL LEPAGE BENCHMARK Kirby Cox Calgary, AB
SUTTON GROUP PROFESSIONAL REALTY Jacqui Rostek Halifax, NS
Jacqui Rostek and Scott Moulton joined forces in 2015 when they teamed up to sell over 90 units in a soft Halifax market. “When we knew the market wasn’t going to help us,” says Rostek, “we decided we needed to increase our market share.” That has meant insane hours – “I think Scott is probably the only agent I know who works as much or more than myself,” Rostek says – but the duo, unwilling to upset their dynamic, is hesitant to bring more agents into the fold. Rostek and Moulton have the utmost confidence in each other’s abilities, and that reliability and consistency is clearly not lost on their growing list of clients: the Platinum Group is currently the number one team in Halifax.
NEW COAST REALTY Morning Yu
Richmond, BC
Kirby Cox and Associates have been the number one Royal LePage team in western Canada for eight years, and have been in the top ten in Canada for even longer. Cox’s five agent team sold over 320 properties last year in a shaky Calgary market, something Cox attributes to experience. “When a team member’s representing your name,” he says, “you want to make sure that person has the knowledge, the expertise and the background to make the strong decision for that seller or buyer.” Cox feels larger teams generally have to contend with two major challenges: high staff turnover and inexperienced agents. “We try to avoid that completely,” says Cox, pointing out that his two newest hires each have over 15 years of experience. With a strong sense of fundamentals and years’ worth of contacts to draw from, additions to Cox’s team already possess a reputation and a client base. “That’s why my team has been so consistent throughout the years.”
RE/MAX ROSSETTI REALTY Tony Rossetti
North Vancouver, BC
One of the few father and son teams to make our Top Teams list, Tony Rosetti and his sons, Jordan and Aaron, have been working the north Vancouver market together for over 10 years. The senior Rosetti says there are several advantages to working with his boys – namely a closeness that no other co-worker relationship could compete with – but his youngest son says there are challenges, too. Referring to his father, Aaron Rosetti says, “He’s been doing this a long time, which is a great advantage for our team and working with clients, but at the same time he’s kind of set in his ways, certainly there’s this dynamic of old and new ways of doing things.” This combination of old school fundamentals and modern marketing strategies has paid off for the team in a big way.
SUTTON PREMIER REALTY Emily Oh Surrey,BC
Morning Yu is an award-winning realtor based in Vancouver, British Columbia. After years working as an insurance broker, she pursued a career in real estate and became licensed with the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver in 2010. Despite the downturn in Vancouver’s real estate market in 2012, Morning still won major awards and closed many lucrative
sales that year. Morning joined New Coast Realty in 2013 and continued her track record of success. In 2015, Morning and her team were ranked #1 in sales at New Coast Realty.
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Emily Oh PREC is a real estate agent with Sutton Premier Realty. She and her awardwinning team are passionate about helping home buyers find their dream homes in neighbourhoods like Fraser Heights, Fleetwood, White Rock, Metrotown, and other places. From 2007 to 2016, Emily was a Top 1% Achiever, Medallion Member, and recipient of the Sutton Master’s Award. Her team has gained a reputation for excellence, unparalleled customer service, and highly effective marketing strategies.
POLYGON REALTY Patricia Y. Lok Vancouver, BC Top 20 team for units sold
Patricia Lok is a highly experienced sales representative at RE/MAX Select Properties. She has been selling homes in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond since 1989. Her many years of experience in the real estate industry, combined with her outstanding negotiating skills and thorough knowledge of the local Vancouver real estate market, enables her to offer her clients the highest calibre of advocacy and assistance.
RE/MAX PROFESSIONALS Ed Dale
RE/MAX SELECT PROPERTIES Patrick Weeks
Winnipeg, MB
Vancouver, BC
The team of Ed Dale and his son Ed Jr. consistently rank in the top 1% of Realtors in Winnipeg and the top 50 for RE/MAX franchises in Canada. In addition to their reputation as specialists in the south Winnipeg market, they are also known for their wide-ranging marketing endeavors. Not only do they take advantage of old fashioned, tactile methods like “Just Sold” post cards and calendars with their clients’ homes on them, they also leverage Facebook ads to devastating effect. Ed Dale Jr. estimates that his video tours generate over 15,000 views a week on Facebook. “I spend $35 or $40 a listing marketing it and get that crazy amount of views on it,” he says. “It’s ridiculous.” While a number of Realtors are trying to leverage trendier platforms like Instagram and Twitter, Dale sees Facebook, which is growing in popularity among older users, as the ideal way to reach potential clients. “I walk into a Starbucks now and I get people walking by – ‘Hey Ed, how’s the market doing?’”
Patrick Weeks PREC and his team have more than 10 years of experience in the Vancouver real estate market, including Fairview, South Granville, Shaughnessy, Kerrisdale, Kitsilano, Point Grey, Dunbar, Downtown, Yaletown, and East Vancouver. Patrick’s team combines up-to-the-minute technology with triedand-true marketing techniques to expose homes to as many qualified buyers as possible.
HOMELIFE BENCHMARK RLTY CLOV Edith Katronis Surrey, BC Top 20 team for units sold
Edith Katronis is a real estate agent, listing specialist, and team leader of the Katronis Real Estate Team. She provides real estate services to clients in Willoughby Heights, Pacific Douglas, Guildford, Cloverdale, Salmon River, Langley City, Clayton, East Newton, Panorama Ridge, and other areas. She has been marketing, evaluating, negotiating, and selling real estate since 1982. From her second year onward, Edith sold enough homes to be on the exclusive Medallion list, which is awarded to the top 10% of Fraser Valley real estate agents.
DAN PLOWMAN TEAM REALTY Dan Plowman Whitby, ON Top 20 team for units sold and average DOM
As the leader of both a top real estate team and his own training company, Dan Plowman has a lot to say about what makes a winning agent. The phrase “drop the ball” comes up repeatedly when talking to Plowman, most frequently when it comes to following up with clients. Plowman says most agents come up short in two major areas: lead conversion and referrals. After a lead has been generated, Plowman says few agents “are very good with follow up. They drop the ball if they need to call somebody back four, five, six times. Statistically, numbers show me that you have to contact someone on average seven to ten times before you get an appointment, never mind a deal.” Plowman estimates that 80% of business is the result of follow-ups. “In other words I’d be doing 80 percent less business if I just counted on field reps to do the follow-up work.” Plowman has multiple full-time agents on his staff whose sole duty is lead conversion. Plowman says most agents also take referrals and repeat business for granted. He feels referrals require “the same care and consideration that a new lead does. People want to know that they matter. And the way that they learn that is through continued follow up. People rarely remember what you say to them, but they do remember how you made them feel.”
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FEATURES
COVER STORY: TOP TEAMS 2O16 RE/MAX SELECT PROPERTIES
URBANOPOLIS
Paul Eviston
Steve Aruda
Vancouver, BC
Toronto, ON
Top 20 team for volume
Paul Eviston is an award-winning real estate agent with RE/MAX Select Properties, and provides premium real estate services in Vancouver and the surrounding areas. Since 1985, Paul has helped over 3500 clients buy and sell homes. He is one of the only two REALTORS® in Vancouver to have attained MLS President’s Club for 20 or more years. Paul now surrounds himself with a team of three dedicated realtors who combine their collective knowledge and experience to serve the needs of sellers, buyers, builders, and investors in Vancouver.
RE/MAX CENTRAL Doris Gee
Burnaby, BC
Doris Gee is an award-winning REALTOR® at Re/MAX Central. Doris and her partner, Phil Moore, serve the diverse communities of Vancouver, Burnaby, and Westminster. Doris and Phil are committed to providing their clients—whether they’re buying or selling condominiums, houses, or townhouses—the most professional, exceptional, and friendly service possible.
What makes a good team? Steve Aruda of Urbanopolis explains. “It’s like a well-oiled machine with many independent moving parts, working together towards a common goal. If one part fails, the entire engine is at risk. The same applies to a real estate team. Everyone has their own specific role in a team setting but everyone must be willing to support, contribute and produce results for the good of the team. There’s no room for egos or laziness on our team... it’s destructive and unproductive and develops bad habits.. You have to be willing to do the little things; the rentals, open houses, the follow up calls to gain the needed experience. Be a problem solver, work your butt off and it will pay dividends.”
RE/MAX PROGROUP REALTY Fraser W. Elliott Vancouver, BC Top 20 team for units sold
Fraser W. Elliott is an award-winning REALTOR® and is the team leader of the Fraser Elliott Real Estate Group. Among his many accolades, he was the #1 selling REALTOR® in Ladner/Tsawwassen from 2010-2013, and was ranked #4 out of all the REALTORS® in the Greater Vancouver Area. Fraser and his team service the Delta, Ladner, Tsawwassen, North Delta, and South Delta areas. They specialize in new construction, investments, luxury homes, residential acreages, as well as condominiums.
SUTTON GROUP WEST COAST REALTY Stella Price Coquitlam, BC
Stella Price’s career in property development and real estate stretches back more than 35 years. She has worked for the likes of Prudential and RE/MAX Sabre, earning top awards and often emerging as the top-rated sales agent. After moving to Sutton Group West Coast Realty, Stella quickly became its #1 agent. Bringing her daughter, Erin Price-Emery, aboard as a managing partner for Stella Price and Associates, Stella has created a powerhouse mother-daughter team that dominates the Lower Mainland presales and resales markets.
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RE/MAX WESTCOAST Sarah Zhang Vancouver, BC
Sarah Zhang became licensed with the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver in 2008. Her strong drive and significant accomplishments won her the Rookie of the Year award in 2008. Other Awards include the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, Executive Club, and the MLS Master Medallion Club. Sarah brings a wide selection of Richmond’s most sought-after real estate to the market, and offers clients the most effective marketing programs available in the industry today. Sarah’s expansive communication network gives her direct access to potential buyers in Greater China, Indonesia, India, and Russia.
ROYAL LEPAGE WOLSTENCROFT Tracey Bosch Langley, BC
Tracey Bosch PREC of Royal LePage Wolstencroft started his real estate career in 1989. Having built his business one client at a time, there is no greater compliment for Tracey than when a past client calls him or entrusts the needs of their family and friends to him. He has helped over 2300 families find their dream properties. Whether they’re looking for homes, acreages, condos, or townhouses, Tracey’s wealth of knowledge and years of experience will ensure that clients get exactly what they want.
RE/MAX CREST WESTSIDE VANW7 Rob Zwick
Vancouver, BC
Rob Zwick (Zwick Chimes Real Estate Group) is an agent with RE/MAX Crest Westside (Van W7). Rob provides real estate services in Kitsilano, Point Grey, UBC, False Creek, Fairview, East Van, North Van, and the surrounding areas. The Zwick Chimes Real Estate Group is an elite team of Vancouver real estate agents with the credentials to prove it. They have over 25 years of combined experience, have won numerous awards, and have gained a positive reputation in the industry with their innovative and thorough marketing campaigns.
SUTTON WEST COAST REALTY Candice Dyer Squamish, BC
Since 2007, Candice Dyer PREC has listed and sold more properties than any other realtor in the Sea-to-Sky Corridor. Her knowledge and experience have made her a top choice for clients, particularly those who want to achieve the best selling price for their homes. She has consistently garnered industry recognition for excellence in sales and customer service, and has been in the Top 1% of all Realtors at the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver for the past eight years.
RE/MAX ESCARPMENT GOLFI REALTY Robert Golfi Hamilton, ON
A successful team leader is constantly looking for ways to give his agents an edge. For Rob Golfi, whose RE/MAX ream closed 460 deals last year, that includes finding and connecting with the top REALTORs in North America. “If I find somebody that I think is doing a lot of transaction ends,” says Golfi, “I will follow them and find out what they’re doing.” Golfi belongs to a number of “mastermind” groups, who meet monthly to share winning strategies, and lives by the TBF (tapes, books and functions) philosophy. “It’s the only way. You have to stay ahead of the curve.” Golfi says that some of the best strategies he has implemented were imported from the US, where he travels multiple times a year to meet with industry leaders. “They seem to be more ahead of the trends than Canadian realtors,” he says. One tactic brought back from south of the border has been the team’s combined use of branded and unbranded websites to better generate and gauge client interest, which has resulted in a wealth of fresh leads. “The market’s moving so fast, and technology is moving so fast, but we’re always on top of it.”
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FEATURES
COVER STORY: TOP TEAMS 2O16 SAVE MAX REAL ESTATE Raman Dua
Brampton, ON Top 20 team for volume, units sold and average DOM
Raman Dua honed his sales skills in the five years he spent working for GlaxoSmithKline, but when he moved to Canada from his native India in 2003, he came here “as a regular immigrant, two bags in my hand.” Now, as leader of the 50-person juggernaut that is the Save Max team, he is in charge of a burgeoning real estate empire that should approach $450 million in sales in 2016. According to Dua, there have been two major components to Save Max’s rapid ascension. The first is its hiring process. “We want the best people to carry our brand name,” he says. The Save Max three-stage hiring process is one of high scrutiny, with a strong emphasis placed on education. Even though his team has grown substantially in its ten years, Dua says he might hire one out of every ten candidates. Dua also instills in his team a refreshing, respectful view of their competitors. “The kind of industry we work in is basically cooperating with each other. That’s the key mantra of success. We always respect our competition and we treat them well. They are not our competitors. They are our partners. That’s what I believe.”
WHISTLER REAL ESTATE CO LTD John Ryan Whistler, BC
John Ryan has been recognized as Whistler Real Estate Co. Ltd.’s top agent for 25 years, having sold in excess of 3000 properties. Armed with more than 29 years of experience in real estate, John continues to provide superior services to a diverse clientele. His efforts are supported by two full time licensed sales team members (with over 19 years of combined experience), as well as a dedicated marketing specialist.
SUTTON PREMIER REALTY Mike Marfori Surrey, BC
Mike Marfori PREC (Sutton Premier Realty) grew up in Surrey. He spent most of his working life in sales and customer service, making him a natural fit for the real estate industry. “My mission is to provide the very best service possible to every client I work with. I strive to use every resource available to assist with the pricing, marketing, and negotiating of every real estate transaction with which I am involved. I specialize in counselling my buyers and sellers on all aspects of the transactions I am undertaking, and take pride in the success of their efforts.”
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TOP 20 - AVERAGE SALE PRICE OFFICE TEAM LEAD Angell Hasman E Christiansen
Eric Christiansen
Faith Wilson Group
Faith Wilson
Harvey Kalles Real Estate
Robert S. Greenberg
Living Realty Inc
Bonnie B. Wan
Macdonald Realty
Clair Rockel
Macdonald Realty Westmar
Julietteyonghong Zhang
Re/max Aboutowne Realty Corp
Cindy M. Avis
Re/max Aboutowne Realty Corp
Christopher Invidiata
Re/max Colonial Pacific Realty
Glenn Dennis
Re/max Real Estate Services
Michelle Yu
Re/max Realtron Realty
N. Barry Cohen
Re/max Realtron Soltanian Real Estate
Sharon Soltanian
Re/max Select Properties
Layla Z. Y. Yang
Regent Park Realty
Gary Geng
Royal Lepage Real Estate Services
Cailey Heaps Estrin
Royal Lepage Sussex J Soprovich
Jason Soprovich
Royal Pacific Realty Corp
Sarina Han
Royal Pacific Realty Corp
Winnie Y Chung
Royal Pacific Realty Corp
Tammy Jin
Sutton Group Seafair Realty
Kathy Xu
CENTURY 21 ALL SEASONS REALTY Emma Kearns & Ray Krupa Bancroft, ON
Emma Kearns and Ray Krupa are working in a relatively small market, but the Bancroft area is surprisingly competitive. With 52 other realtors operating in the region, Kearns and Krupa have become feisty, seasoned professionals. They take calls well into the night and answer emails within minutes; they are aggressive in their marketing – Kearns estimates they spend over $60,000 a year on advertising – and brutally honest with their clients regarding prices. Kearns’ reputation for being blunt has lost the team clients, only to have them come back when their homes don’t sell. “A lot of the time, the people that listen to us are very successful and they make money,” says Krupa. “It’s either you want to sell or you don’t.”
ROYAL LEPAGE YORK NORTH REALTY
MAC MARKETING SOLUTIONS
RE/MAX WESTCOAST
Newmarket, ON
Vancouver, BC
Richmond, BC
Leigh Jordana Sugar is a broker with the Royal LePage York North Realty Brokerage, and is the team leader of the Sugar Team. The Sugar Team is a group of real estate professionals who are committed to providing exceptional customer service—as well as knowledgeable real estate, financial, and market advice—to clients. The Sugar Team is proud to be in the top 1% of agents in Canada. The team is also the #1 team/agent for Royal LePage York North Realty and RCR Brokerages.
Cameron McNeill is the president and founder of Mac Marketing Solutions. The MAC team is solely dedicated to the envisioning, marketing, sales, and customer care of new housing projects from BC and Alberta’s most reputable new home developers. For each new project, MAC builds a focused core team and then draws on their collective expertise to provide creative and strategic solutions. MAC brings professionalism, deep experience, knowledge, and positive energy to all of their projects.
Born and educated in Hong Kong, Patsy Hui (RE/MAX Westcoast, Richmond) migrated to Canada over 40 years ago. After pursuing a successful career in banking,
Leigh Jordana Sugar
Cameron Mcneill
Patsy Hui
Patsy decided to shift gears and work in the real estate industry. She went on to establish herself as a top producer in her field. Patsy has won 306 sales awards (and counting) since 1984, including the RE/ MAX Circle of Legends Award (since 2007), MLS Team President’s Award (since 2007), and the MLS Life Member Medallion Award (since 2006).
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FEATURES
TEAM BUILDING
Making the transition In the second instalment of an exclusive three-part series, team-building expert Kathleen Black prepares new team leaders for a change in responsibility – and compensation
AS A TEAM leader trying to establish a top-performing real estate team, there are three main jobs that you will be performing: team owner, team leader and team member. These roles must be compensated separately and in vastly different ways. The compensation for team owner and team member is the easiest to understand. The owner should be compensated based on profitability; once you reach the monthly break-even point you are in a position to enjoy the profits, but you must also be prepared to inject funds when there is a shortfall. As a team member, you should be compensated on the same scale as every other salesperson in the office. The complexities of compensation come as we shift from working in the business as a team member to working on the business as the team
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leader. This position is paid in many ways, such as a portion of every commission earned by every team member (yourself included). But the team leader should also be directly compensated for the value added by their many duties: • creating and implementing vision • developing initiatives and implementing new team ideas • inheriting and mitigating all financial risk • continuously generating new leads • coordinating major purchases • organizing team business plans • coordinating marketing and advertising • providing training, guidance and support to all team members Many Realtors have the misconception that transitioning into the new role of team leader will pull them away from their income and result
in lower sales. This simply is not true. Working on the business as a team leader will allow you to multiply your sales productivity tenfold by leveraging other people to encompass the sales role, admin role, etc. Being a team leader is not a hobby; it is a full-time position that requires the same precision and focus as your role in sales, and you would not expect a team member to sell houses without compensation. The role
Many Realtors have the misconception that transitioning into the new role of team leader will pull them away from their income and result in lower sales. This simply is not true of a team leader directly affects the overall profitability of a team, so small daily accomplishments for a team leader can be met with small daily rewards, just as a big reward should follow a big goal. We must find some kind of joy in our challenges. If we can’t, how long will we continue dealing with them? The ultimate goal of any business owner is to one day in the future be able to stop working but still have an income coming in. At this point you will need to hire out the position of team leader to someone else, and that person will not do this work for free. If you have always run the business in such a way that the team leader is compensated and the owner can still make money, you have a true business that you can then one day sell. REP Kathleen Black is the CEO of Kathleen Black Coaching & Consulting, Canada’s leading real estate coaching, consulting and training firm. She will be appearing at the Ultimate Team Summit, Nov 9–11, in Niagara Falls. For more information on both the event and Kathleen Black Coaching & Consulting, visit kathleenspeaks.com.
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
STRATEGY
Transparency, trust and profit How pre-listing inspections can make transactions more lucrative for you and your clients
IN COMPETITIVE real estate markets, top agents want to give themselves and their clients every advantage. As a professional, you should know all the issues related to a particular property ahead of time, enabling you to advise the seller on the best sale price and attracting the highest offer.
Using pre-listing inspections as a marketing tool is particularly effective in hot and competitive real estate markets Pre-listing inspections can set you up for success in the negotiation process with the buyer by creating an environment of trust and openness during the sale. See box at right for some key facts for real estate agents and brokers on how to add value to the real estate transaction by performing a pre-listing inspection. REP
HOW PRE-LISTING INSPECTIONS CAN MAKE YOU MORE MONEY
80%
of all real estate deals are conditional on a home inspection
Attract the higher offer
More $$$ = commission for you For every $1,000
of perceived defect, the buyer will ask for a $3,000 to $5,000 reduction of the asking price You want to know about the issues now, not when the buyer’s inspector shows up
Be proactive
and stand out from the competition by performing a pre-listing inspection for your seller
Better negotiating power As the listing agent, you are the most knowledgeable person about the product
No = surprises
When you know about the potential issues of a home, you can decide if the seller should fix them or leave the option to the buyer
Use the pre-listing inspection as a marketing tool This is particularly effective
For more information about increasing the saleability of your properties, contact the experts at Pillar To Post Home Inspectors at www.pillartopost.com.
in hot and competitive real estate markets
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PEOPLE
AGENT PROFILE
The new breed The security of selling for a big-name brokerage wasn’t enough for Jordan Rasberry. Breaking away to establish Core Assets Real Estate has been the best move he has made – so far
“IT WAS … okay.” That is how Jordan Rasberry sums up his 30-month stint with Re/Max Condos Plus, his first foray into the industry. Twenty-five at the time, Rasberry saw the brokerage as a perfect fit. Re/Max offered a continuous flow of leads, an emphasis on training and, as one of the biggest brokerages in downtown Toronto, a potentially massive client base. But despite his early success, Rasberry found it impossible to connect with big brokerage culture – or the lack thereof. The innate competitiveness was made all the more apparent by an overall lack of comradery, and the longer he stayed, the more he felt that he was just another body sitting at a rented desk. “You’re just a number in the brokerage. Any decent brokerage tries to make $15,000 to $20,000 per agent per year. That’s the goal of a brokerage.” So long as their agents are all paying their fees and contributing the odd commission split, Rasberry says most large brokerages don’t see a need to invest in the improvement of their sales team. “Any other sales organization aside from real estate, all they do is train their brand new employees because they want them to sell. They’ll make money off them eventually.” By the spring of 2013, Rasberry had teamed up with two other Re/Max defectors,
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Paul Siskna and Adam Brind, and formed Core Assets Real Estate. The boutique outfit, now 18 agents strong, is the trio’s attempt to improve the brokerage experience – for agents and clients alike. “We really wanted to come across with a much more corporate feel, sort of intertwining commercial real estate with residential real estate. On the commercial side, you always see much more consistent branding, definitely a lot more professionalism; whereas on the residential side you see a lot more lone wolves out there.” But the company’s unquestionably corporate bent is balanced by a genuine emphasis on teamwork. Rasberry says his agents “like the idea of having a smaller team, where they can talk to the leadership of the company, and a place that’s comfortable to work in and inviting for clients.” Rasberry is
clearly proud of his team.“We’ve been able to attract great agents. More than that we’ve been able to retain them.” But Rasberry knows first-hand that the industry is far from angelic. His father discouraged him from becoming a Realtor, worried that his son would be engaged on a daily basis with agents who he warned were “unprofessional, slimy and don’t work very hard.” Rasberry says his father wasn’t entirely wrong. “The general public sees people making a lot of money in real estate and they think it’s super easy to get into. ‘All I have to do is go to OREA, get my courses done, get hired by a brokerage and I start selling properties.’ Fortunately, that’s not the reality and you actually do have to put your time in and work hard.” Rasberry blames an oversupply of agents and a shortage of training for the industry’s bruised reputation. He believes stricter
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Outside of work and travel, one of Rasberry’s main outlets is his work with the Women’s Brain Health Initiative, an organization dedicated to increasing research into women’s neurological issues. Rasberry was selected to be a part of the WBHI Young Person’s Cabinet, which promotes mental health in millennials. The WBHI and the Young Person’s Cabinet are currently planning an ambitious fundraiser, a 10-week Battle of the Bands, with the final show taking place this fall at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto.
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JORDAN RASBERRY FAST FACTS
HOMETOWN Toronto, ON
YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY 6
MARKET West Toronto and Etobicoke
DEALS CLOSED IN 2015 23*
DEALS CLOSED AS OF JULY 29, 2016 19*
“We’ve been able to attract great agents. More than that we’ve been able to retain them” educational standards would be one way to weed out marginal agents who cut corners. “For a lack of a better word,” he says of the classes Realtors are required to take, “they’re a joke. They’re not hard to do. And that’s a big problem.” He also proposes a limit on the number of bids on properties, which would prevent agents from dragging naïve buyers into bidding wars they can’t afford to win.
But reforming the industry isn’t currently on Rasberry’s agenda. His focus right now is growing Core Assets into one of Toronto’s top brokerages while maintaining both its boutique size and the independent spirit it was born out of. “Our plan is to continue to grow with like-minded people that really fit into our culture and share our values. We’re not going to stay an 18-person brokerage forever.” REP
TOTAL SALES REVENUE FOR CORE ASSETS REAL ESTATE (CARE) IN 2015 $77,760,078*
TOTAL SALES REVENUE FOR CARE AS OF JULY 29, 2016 $73,718,728* *Figures do not include lease transactions
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15/09/2016 12:16:35 AM
SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
TEAMBUILDING
4 keys to retaining top team members As an early proponent of real estate teams, Dan Plowman is thrilled to see how teams have taken off in this industry. It means the concept works and it works well (especially when done properly)
MORE AGENTS are jumping on the bandwagon every day, but aren’t sure where to begin. Many hire team members only to have them leave and become their competi tion, or they aren’t sure how to properly compensate their team members and them selves for a healthy business model. There is a way to do it right, as we see very successful mega teams everywhere. So what do they do differently? Here are a few key concepts I learned early on that helped me create a team of top producers who have remained with me for many years. Don’t ‘buy’ your agents 50/50 splits don’t work. If you are ‘buying’ your team members using splits, you will inevitably discover that the costs far outweigh the benefits and the team concept will eventually begin to fail for you. You will have no money left over to grow the business. There is a profitable way to compensate team members which ultimately nets them more money and is also very lucrative for
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the team leader. A profitable compensation structure incorporates many factors, inclu ding how many deals you do per year, your average sales price, your team’s monthly expenses, and much more. It’s a proven and profitable concept that we teach team leaders which helps ensure healthy growth for your team. A great team leader provides his partners/agents with a better platform on which to run their business than what traditional real estate offers. Create a franchise concept Agents on a team want to be treated as partners. They want to feel that they are in control of their success and their business. By allowing team members to build their business inside of yours, you not only help them become successful but your success is a natural byproduct. This also helps you build valuable retention tools such as incentives and bonuses based on past client referrals and more. Remember that anyone can open a coffee shop, but the top people open a Tim Horton’s
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or a Starbucks. They still have their own business, but they have a strong connection to the company name and systems. By ‘franchising’ your name and the rights to all the standards of service that you represent, you create an ideal environment for success, loyalty and growth. Hire the right people at the right time Recruiting the wrong people can be one of the most expensive, demoralizing and
3
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“Most agents were attracted to the industry because they didn’t want to be employees. This is the real estate dream. If you take away the dream, your team members will not stay long. Help them build their own business inside of yours and you will keep them forever” Dan Plowman, Dan Plowman Team Systems and the quality of both can often determine if your team members will stay long term.
frustrating mistakes a team leader can make. The problem often occurs when we hire from a gut feeling or because the recruit is a friend or family member. You need to use a system that exposes the best candidates quickly and easily so you spend time and resources with only the best talent available. It’s also important to ensure you have a steady stream of quality leads coming in the door before you hire or recruit a new team member. Hiring a team member first and
expecting them to generate the leads or bring business with them will result in disappointment and ultimately failure. Provide superior systems and training Whether you have a team of two or 20 or more, if you don’t have a proven system in place, it won’t work. It is important that your team members deliver the same quality and level of service that your clients expect of you. This requires training and nurturing
4
These are just a few of the concepts we use on a daily basis with our own team, allowing us to outsell our next closest competitor by more than double. It was the success of my team that ultimately gave birth to Dan Plowman Team Systems, the first coaching company to specialize in team training and development and the only coaching company led by a realtor who has run a very successful team for more than 10 years. Many claim to be coaches and trainers but very few have actually run a successful team. Before choosing your coaching company be sure they have run a successful team year after year and continue to do so as our industry changes very quickly. Dan Plowman Team Systems provides proven turnkey systems customized to your specific needs to help you build a team of loyal, highly productive agents that will take your business to new heights and deliver optimum results. REP
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
INTERNATIONAL
Success strategies for cross-border referrals Referrals are common to real estate deals everywhere, but when investing in a foreign country, there is little that can be taken for granted. Beth Kinsella prepares you for what could be a long, strange journey
DO YOU WORK with clients who have real estate needs outside of Canadian borders? As the global marketplace continues to evolve and more people purchase homes outside of their native countries, you can provide exceptional service to them by helping them connect with a broker just about anywhere in the world through a referral. Working with referrals outside of Canadian borders is an education, providing lessons in geography, time zones and perhaps most importantly, cultural awareness. There is rarely a norm. Real estate practices vary
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from country to country, and just when you think you have one country figured out you will be quickly confused by another. The challenge of cross-border referrals is made greater by the number of people involved. In some cases, there is the client who is buying or selling, the agent who is working with the client, the relocation or business development team who is working with the referring agent and, in companies that specialize in this type of business, a cross-border referral team who is working between the originating company and the
destination broker. Does that make your brain hurt? Let’s ease the pain.
Set the bar low and beware of tire kickers At the risk of sounding pessimistic, crossborder referrals have many variables and numerous points at which the transaction can derail. Caution clients that this is a difficult and almost assuredly slow process. The clients should have their paperwork, finances and basic research in order before the process begins. Is the client really prepared to
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purchase a €3-million chateau in the south of France, or is he having a midlife crisis and watching too much House Hunters International? Ensure that the client who is buying or selling is serious, not just testing the waters. Wasting the time of a valuable contact all but guarantees that he or she will not be interested in doing more business in the future.
Communicate clearly Abandon the notion of ‘That’s how we do it here’. Your way of doing things is not
“In North America, we are in a drivethru, next-day-delivery, order-fromyour-phone culture” Beth Kinsella, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World universal; for instance, you might prefer conducting all of your communications via email. Not all countries are email-centric. Also, keep in mind that if you are trying to establish initial contact with someone who
does not speak your language as a first or even second language, your email could easily be perceived as junk mail. Contacting someone by telephone is always the best first step. Certainly this can
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
be intimidating, even hilarious at times, but making the attempt shows legitimacy. Who would spend the money or time to make prank phone calls to another country? Anyone can send an email, and it doesn’t cost a dime; that phone call says you mean business (even if you butcher the language). Google Translate is a huge help, even if you can only squeak out a few words in the language at hand. Occasionally you’ll get someone on the other line who speaks a bit of your language, and you will make progress. Once you reach a point when you can get an email address for your contact, communication by email is easier with the help of Google Translate. A tip in regard to using any translation site: use the most basic vocabulary possible. Avoid slang or colloquialisms and remember that many words have multiple meanings. Always follow up by phone because if the recipient is receiving an email in a language other than their own there is a good chance they (or their email server) may think it is spam.
Know that ‘Nicaragua’ is not an address Getting detailed information is key; this cannot be overstated. When gathering information from the client or referring agent, make sure to get all of the facts. This includes client contact information, exact listing address (country, city, state/province and postal code), housing type, language requirements of the buyer or seller and any other pertinent details. The more information gathered, the smoother the process will be. Less back and forth with the destination broker will cut down on placement time.
Exercise patience This can be easier said than done. In North America, we are in a drive-thru, next-day-delivery, order-from-your-phone culture. This
50
is not always the way the rest of the world works. Getting a response from a broker in another country can take days, on occasion more than a week. Being patient is key and communicating that to all parties involved is essential.
Accept differences in business practices While your company might pay on a buyer referral, it is uncommon in some parts of the world, including the United Kingdom. Understand that this is not a character flaw of the destination broker or a bad policy of the company he or she represents, it’s simply not a business practice there. Understand
having any major political issues or other threats to the housing market? Dig around the internet with the agent or broker’s name and the company name; look for a physical address of the company, not just a website. If your gut instinct tells you that something is off-base, keep searching. Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, a selective global community of the highest-quality independent real estate companies, has made it a priority to effectively service this type of business with a cross-border referral team based in several different countries. The team serves as a hybrid of liaison/concierge/matchmaker to assist member brokers and others when their
“To avoid an uncomfortable situation, have the referral fee conversation upfront with the destination broker and make sure to send a referral agreement” Beth Kinsella, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World that even though you aren’t getting a share of the commission, you are providing your clients with great service, and they will likely come back to you with future business and refer you to their friends and family. To avoid an uncomfortable situation, have the referral fee conversation upfront with the destination broker and make sure to send a referral agreement. Another major difference to keep in mind is that in some countries, no real estate licence is required to sell real estate — that means anyone can sell a house. It’s always best to go on the recommendation of someone who has worked with the company before. When that’s not possible, research, research, research. Find out about the economy in the destination country; are they
clients have real estate needs around the world, reflecting the global focus of the network. Despite the many differences between cross-border referrals and business sourced closer to home, there is no discrepancy in what is most essential: the value of human touch and impact of an agent who is willing to go the extra mile. REP
Beth Kinsella is global member services manager at Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. To learn more or get assistance with cross-border referrals, visit www.crossborderreferrals.com. To learn more about membership in Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, contact Sheila Barr: sbarr@LeadingRE.com or +1.312.361.8632.
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
RENOVATING
How to add real value when renovating
Do you need to upgrade your entire kitchen or will a new lick of paint be enough to improve your home for market?
sive updates. A fresh coat of paint, modern lighting fixtures, light landscaping or gardening, or upgraded door handles can give your home an updated look and feel – and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. The top five improvements someone can do to a home to increase its value in the short term include: 1. Kitchen – renovating or updating your kitchen with quality materials and workmanship consistent with the home and the area 2. Bathroom – renovating or adding quality materials and workmanship consistent with the home and the area 3. Repainting interior/exterior – painting in tones that have wide-ranging market appeal 4. Updating décor – updating lighting, plumbing fixtures and countertops; replacing worn flooring (vinyl or carpets) or refinishing hardwood floors 5. Decluttering – removing all excess items to showcase your home
Long-term renovations with the highest enjoyment value
MANY HOMEOWNERS are looking for that silver bullet to ensure a good return on their renovation investment but, unfortunately, it is not that simple. There is a common misconception that if they invest $25,000 in their new kitchen, the price of their house will increase by $25,000. However, what they don’t realize is that the quality of the renovation, the expectations of the buyer, and the type of neighbourhood they live in will weigh into the actual return on investment (ROI). When a homeowner is considering a renovation, it is important to understand why they are renovating and what their future plans are for their home. Are they planning to ‘flip’ the house in the next year, live in the property for a few years, or stay in their home to raise their family? Are they buying to rent or own?
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Depending on these plans, the short-, medium- and long-term improvements that are needed to achieve the homeowner’s objective can be met. Based on the expertise of valuation professionals who have seen the impact of renovations on the value of a property, the following tips for ‘smart’ renovations may help real estate professionals advise their clients.
If you intend on living in your property in the long term, the top five renovations with the highest enjoyment value include: 1. Basement finishing 2. Garages 3. Sunrooms/additions 4. Decks/fences 5. Landscaping
Smart short-term renovations
Overall, the ongoing maintenance of a home is critical to maintaining the value of a home. The right choice of roofing, windows, and energy-efficient heating and cooling systems can provide homeowners with worry-free house improvements for as long as 10 to 15 years. But remember, regular maintenance is as important as the initial investment.
Investing in modern updates in high-traffic areas and updating the core rooms of your home, such as the kitchen and bathroom, is smart. This can be as simple as changing doorknobs, resurfacing cabinets, or replacing fixtures and countertops. Don’t underestimate the value of inexpen-
Maintaining the value of a home in the long term
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The top five renovations that ensure the value of a home will remain intact include: 1. Replacing the roof 2. Updating the heating and cooling systems 3. Replacing windows and doors 4. Updating the electricals (panels, wiring, sockets, fixtures) 5. Repairing structural defects
Other things to remember Since Realtors are trusted advisors, it is important to also remind your clients that before they begin their renovations, it is wise
to do their due diligence: 1. Get a building/renovation permit from your municipality or appropriate authority to ensure the renovation work complies with the building codes. 2. Hire a designer, architect or contractor to help draw up a plan, provide renovation advice or assist in the construction to add to the quality of the renovation and it will go a long way in preventing cost overruns. 3. Be objective when considering unusual features. Unique designs or improvements that are uncommon for a
particular market may impact on the resale of a home. 4. Engage a designated appraiser to provide an independent opinion of the value of the home with the proposed renovations to give you peace of mind that you are making smart renovation choices. REP
For more information, visit www.aicanada.ca/industryresources/consumer-guides/how-to-value-your-renovations/.
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PEOPLE
CAREER PATH
IT’S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE Real estate is all about relationships, says Mike Cartwright, and judging from his trajectory, it’s a skill he has perfected
1960
WORKS IN THE FAMILY STORE
1975
LEARNS TO DIG UP BUSINESS Freshly graduated from college, Cartwright founded his own successful landscaping company. While running the business he realizes the importance of prospecting.
The Toronto native grew up helping out at the family store, an experience he credits with inculcating in him a work ethic, and breaking the shy youngster out of his shell. “When other kids were out having fun I would be working in the store ‘til eight o’clock and then do my homework. It gave me a great ability at a young age to meet and talk to people; it got me [accustomed to] greeting people. It 100% helped me with people”
“I wanted to create it from nothing and build it up. I didn’t need money to create that business; what I needed was to be able to get clients. My job was to go get the business, so it was very similar to what I do these days – that’s where it began”
1983
1988
1994
STARTS REAL ESTATE CAREER With several years of research behind him, the newly licensed Cartwright joins Century21 with clear ideas of what he needs to do to succeed. His childhood behind the register in his parents’ store turns out to be valuable training. “I knew before I went in that I had to prospect, which is the most challenging thing for anybody who wants to be an agent. The reason why most real estate agents fail is they don’t have the ability to prospect”
2010 OPENS OWN SHOP Cartwright breaks away to found an independent company, Main Street Realty. With incentives such as lower fees and a greater take per transaction, Main Street attracts quality agents, and with them market share and business.
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TRANSITIONS INTO REAL ESTATE When trading up from the house he had bought as 22-year-old, Cartwright is impressed by the real estate agent he works with for the sale. This experience prompts a transition that culminates in Cartwright getting his own real estate licence. “The guy was really good; that pushed me into thinking about that line of work. I started researching real estate, reading books about real estate, educating myself”
STARTS AT SUTTON GROUP In his time at Sutton, Cartwright is always in the top 10 agents in the agency, usually in the top five, and even rose as high as number three. “I would be in the 20% of agents that did well and it was very competitive. Sutton taught me to go it alone and work independently. They helped me work smarter and be even more entrepreneurial on my own”
2014 SETS NEW GOALS A conference in California shook Cartwright out of prosperous complacency and into a new phase of success. “It kicked my ass. I came back and made a goal; when I hit 100 agents – that was a big month. Today I’m managing 125 agents in six offices, three of which we just opened up, and doing coaching too. Since that seminar I have never stopped again. I’m always reaching for the next thing”
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PEOPLE
OTHER LIFE
PLAYING HER TUNE For real estate agent Tina Mak music provides an outlet from a busy and successful career
TELL US ABOUT YOUR OTHER LIFE Email repmag@kmimedia.ca
MUSIC IS bound up in Tina Mak’s history – she took up piano at an early age in common with many of her contemporaries at the urging of her parents, but she dates her love of music from her move to England for education when, finding herself surrounded by classical music, she finally “started to feel I enjoyed music.” Technical musical training in both England and Hong Kong in the fields of vocal and piano followed for the globe-trotting Mak who was awarded an International Performer Diploma for Vocal by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and a Teaching Diploma for Piano from the Royal Academy of
6
Age at which Mak began to learn piano
Music in London. At various points she worked as a piano teacher, and as the conductor of the Hong Kong Children’s Choir. Even after her move to Canada in the early ’90s music remained part of Mak’s life, albeit these days she rarely has time for more than karaoke. “Life has changed so much – I travel a lot; I’m so busy.” One notable recent public performance was singing in front of an audience of hundreds for the Asian Real Estate Associations of America competition ‘AREAA Got Talent’. “I have no stage fright,” she says. “I enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun.” “Music will always be part of my life.”
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Age at which Mak started working as a piano teacher
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Number of years Mak worked as a piano teacher
©201
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Sophia Hu Engel & Völkers Markham
Anita Springate-Renaud Engel & Völkers Toronto Central
Greg Carros Engel & Völkers Vancouver
John King Engel & Völkers Ottawa Central
Only the best in the business join our brand. In 1977, Engel & Völkers set out to provide the best real estate service in the world. We started by being
highly selective of those who were asked to join our brand. Today, there are over 8,000 advisors worldwide
who are maintaining our high standard of excellence. We are growing rapidly throughout North America
defining premium quality, international real estate in each new market. Top producers and industry innovators
have taken notice and are choosing Engel & Völkers. Be part of this extraordinary network and enhance the services you provide to your clients.
Engel & Völkers boutique shops are currently located in Bromont, Montréal, Tremblant, Collingwood, Muskoka, Markham, Toronto, Ottawa, York, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Victoria and Calgary. Expanding across Canada in select markets. Engel & Völkers Canada 2 Bloor Street West, Suite 700 · Toronto · ON M4W 3RI · Phone +1 416-323-1100 evcanada.com · info@evcanada.com
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www.repmag.ca
©2016 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. This advertisement is not an offering of a franchise, and where required by law, an offering can only be made 14 days after delivery of the applicable franchise disclosure document.
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Regional Opportunities
PEOPLE
OTHER LIFE
TELL US ABOUT YOUR OTHER LIFE E-mail: repmag@kmimedia.ca
NOW AVAILABLE ACROSS CANADA For Those Who See A Much Bigger Picture! AVAILABLE! South Western Ontario Western Canada
Toronto GTA Quebec
SOLD! Eastern Ontario Northern Ontario
TREMENDOUS MOMENTUM IN FRANCHISE GROWTH!
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www.repmag.ca www.ibamag.com
Call Tami Bonnell, CEO, for info. 1-877-253-3948 (Toll free)
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